Effects of High Ventilation Breathwork With Retention (HVBR) on Health

NCT ID: NCT06064474

Last Updated: 2023-12-20

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

200 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2023-10-13

Study Completion Date

2023-12-11

Brief Summary

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The investigators are conducting a randomised-controlled trial comparing high ventilation breathwork with retention (HVBR) to a breathwork placebo (paced breathing at 15breaths/min with brief retentions). The metric of 15b/min aligns with guidance from the British Journal of Nursing, Royal College of Physicians and Johns Hopkins Medicine which state that the average, healthy rate should range from: 12-20, 12-18 and 12-16b/min, respectively. The main questions the study attempts to address are: Does HVBR lead to improved state and trait mental health and wellbeing in a general population adult sample?

The study will be conducted entirely online through the research platform Prolific, so participant data will be anonymous. The investigators will collect self-reports of mental health and wellbeing before and after the three-week breathwork period, in addition to a follow-up three weeks later. Pre-post intervention and follow-up questionnaires will be completed online via the survey platform Qualtrics which will be linked to Prolific. Data on self-reported adherence to, and credibility/expectancy of, the breathwork will also be collected, along with participants' experiences to gauge the safety and tolerability of the breathwork protocol.

Detailed Description

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Conditions

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Stress Anxiety Depressive Symptoms Mental Wellbeing Positive Affect Negative Affect Sleep-Related Impairment

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Participants

Study Groups

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High ventilation breathwork with retention (HVBR)

Guided audio of HVBR pre-recorded by a trained breathwork facilitator for \~20min/day over 21 days (three weeks). Delivered remotely through audio link, comprising evocative music and four rounds of hyperventilation with four separate retentions (breath holds), progressively increasing in length (from \~45seconds up to \~90 seconds).

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

High ventilation breathwork with retention (HVBR)

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Intervention

Placebo HVBR

Guided audio of placebo HVBR pre-recorded by a trained breathwork facilitator for \~20min/day over 21 days (three weeks). Delivered remotely through audio link, comprising music and four rounds of paced breathing at 15b/min (equal inhale:exhale) with four separate brief retentions, progressively increasing in length (from \~10secs to \~25secs).

Group Type PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Placebo HVBR

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Placebo

Interventions

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High ventilation breathwork with retention (HVBR)

Intervention

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Placebo HVBR

Placebo

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Fluent in English and living in the UK
* Have access to headphones
* Comfortable with faster breathing and holding breath
* Willing to only practice breathwork in safe environment, lying down in soft area (i.e., bed, sofa, carpet/mat), and always away from water \& hard ground
* Willing to only practice the breathwork away from large meals (i.e., before or 1hour after) and bedtime (i.e., at least 1 hour before if practicing in evening)

Exclusion Criteria

* Hypotension or hypertension (low or high blood pressure)
* History of respiratory or cardiovascular/heart problems or disease
* History of fainting or syncope
* Epilepsy or seizures
* History of panic disorder or panic attacks
* Cerebral aneurysm
* Have had problems with prior breathwork sessions (i.e., fainting)
* Pregnancy, think one might be pregnant, trying to get pregnant, or are breastfeeding
* Any problems which affect one's ability to pace their breathing (i.e., active/chronic respiratory infection including blocked nose/cough/cold/fever, etc.), breathlessness, abnormally slow breathing (bradypnea), or abnormally fast breathing (tachypnoea)
* Any other physical/mental health conditions or current life events which impair or affect one's ability to engage in activities involving breath control
* Are taking any regular medication other than the contraceptive pill, including medications to reduce blood pressure (i.e., Ramipril or other ACE-inhibitors), beta blockers (i.e., Propranolol), antidepressants, anxiolytics or any other psychotropic medications
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

39 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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Sylff Association

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role collaborator

Brighton & Sussex Medical School

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of California, San Francisco

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Sussex

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Guy Fincham

Principal Investigator

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Guy W Fincham, MSc

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Sussex

Locations

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Prolific

Remote/Online, , United Kingdom

Site Status

Countries

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United Kingdom

Provided Documents

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Document Type: Study Protocol

View Document

Document Type: Statistical Analysis Plan

View Document

Other Identifiers

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Sussex fast breathwork study

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id