A Community-based Stress Management Program: Using Wearable Devices to Assess Whole Body Physiological Responses in Non-laboratory Settings

Summary

Stress is an unavoidable and persistent component of life and holistic approaches for its management are being considered. A standardized methodology was created to demonstrate the feasibility of a breath-based stress management protocol that can be used with commercially available portable technology.

Abstract

A pragmatic breath-based intervention to benefit human performance and stress management is timely and valuable to individuals seeking holistic approaches for emotional regulation and optimizing compensatory reserve mechanisms. This protocol is designed to not only teach mind-body awareness but also to provide feedback utilizing physiological data and survey results. The primary findings of this study showed that heart coherence and alpha variables were significantly correlated after four weeks of the breath-based meditation stress protocol. Meditation and rhythmic breathing produced significant increases in alpha brain activity. These brain physiological responses conformed to the Pleth Variability Index (PVI) changes, suggesting the ability of the human body to enter into a meditative state and effectively manage stress. When assessed after four weeks of daily practicing the techniques employed in the stress management protocol, based on the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, subjects improved in applying mindfulness skills. The overall mindfulness score, Pleth variability index (PVI), and perfusion index (PI) increased after the 4-week intervention period. Results from electroencephalography (brain waves) were consistent with a meditative state during the post-study follow-up session. This provides evidence that wearable devices are feasible for data collection during a breath-based stress management intervention. This protocol can be easily and efficiently implemented into any study design in which physiological data are desired in a non-laboratory-based setting.

Introduction

Although stress is an unavoidable and persistent component of life, alternative approaches for the management of physical and emotional stimuli are being considered^1,2,3,4. Uninterrupted stress is associated with the early onset and development of chronic conditions such as diabetes, obesity, cardiac, and cerebrovascular disease^4,5. In recent years, an increasing percentage of Americans have reported stress has a negative impact on their mental and physical health^6<....

Protocol

The protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and all participants signed an informed consent form. Briefly, twelve healthy, normotensive, nonsmoking subjects (five men, seven women) aged between 31 and 65 years (mean age = 44 ± 12 years) volunteered to participate in this study. Brown and Gerbarg³ studied meditation and similar breathing techniques in individuals across a broad age range (14 - 85 years of age) for the management of anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and overall wellness and lifestyle management.

1. Participant Selection

1. Perform the following for all partici....

Results

The primary findings of this study showed that heart coherence and alpha variables were significantly correlated after the primary endpoint, the baseline after four weeks, and the endpoint after four weeks of the breath-based meditation stress protocol, but not during the baseline measurement (Figure 1). Based on these findings, it was concluded that this protocol produced significant increases in alpha brain activity consistent with meditative states. These .......

Discussion

The evolution of wearable technology and its ability to accurately track physiological responses can revolutionize the daily management of stress and monitor physical and cognitive performance across a range of interventions¹⁸. There has already been a host of clinical applications involving stress interventions that have been analyzed, including but not limited to blood pressure, heart rate, and motion or activity prediction. These technologies are continuously being improved upon by machine lear.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Epoc+ 14 channel wireless EEG	Emotiv Systems		Assemble the headset. Fully saturate the felt pads using 0.5% saline solution. When the headset is placed on the scalp, the pads should feel wet. Measurements: Brain Waves, Facial Expression, Mental Command
Fingertip Pulse Oximeter with Bluetooth and Pleth Variability Index	Masimo Mighty Sat with PVI		Measurements: Pulse Rate, Oxygen Saturation, Perfusion Index, Pleth Variability Index (PVI)
The 39-item Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire	A psychometric instrument used to assess five facets of mindfulness		Questionnaire available in electronic and pencil and paper versions. Measurements: Mood, cognition function