Using the body to calm the mind: An examination of heart rate variability biofeedback as a tool to reduce generalised anxiety disorder symptoms

用身体平静心灵：心率变异性生物反馈检查作为减少广泛性焦虑症症状的工具

• 批准号: MR/W005077/1
• 负责人: Frances Meeten
• 金额: $ 100.69万
• 依托单位: University of Sussex
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2022 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=MR%2FW005077%2F1
• 关键词: Using; body; calm; mind; examination

We all worry from time to time, but for some people who experience an illness called generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), worrying can become uncontrollable, time consuming and distressing. As well as having a negative impact on the way we think and feel, GAD also affects our physical wellbeing. When people experience excessive worry over a long time period, this is often accompanied by changes in the body. One important change is in the time interval between each heartbeat. In a healthy body, the time interval between each heartbeat is not regular. The time gap (measured in milliseconds) between each consecutive heartbeat is called heart rate variability (HRV). High HRV (e.g. high variation in the time between consecutive heartbeats) is associated with a healthy body and mind. Previous research suggests that high HRV is associated with being able to better manage our mood states, for example being able to reduce the intensity of a negative mood state. People with GAD tend to experience low HRV over a prolonged period of time, as there is an association between experiencing very high levels of worry and low HRV. Left untreated, low HRV also puts people at risk of poor heart health later in life. A recommended treatment for GAD is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). This therapy helps people to better understand the relationship between thoughts, feelings and behaviours. Although this treatment is helpful for many people, there is a lot of variation in recovery rates, with only 50% of people recovering from GAD after CBT. This means that while CBT is helpful for lots of people, there are others who do not recover after treatment. It is therefore very important that we examine new approaches to treating GAD. We know that there is a link between experiencing high levels of worry and experiencing low HRV. One approach that may be successful in reducing key symptoms of GAD such as excessive worry, is to increase people's HRV to see if it reduces worry levels. HRV is linked to breathing patterns, so HRV can be increased by teaching people to beathe at a specific rate. Previous research has shown that increasing people's HRV is associated with lower levels of anxiety. However, this research did not include people who experience very high levels of anxiety and worry (as seen in GAD) and the research did not always have a high-quality design. So, based on the current information we have, it is difficult to draw firm conclusions about the effectiveness of increasing HRV as a treatment for GAD. I propose to examine the relationship between increased HRV and symptoms of GAD and to provide answers as to whether increasing HRV may reduce symptoms of GAD (e.g. reduce worry levels). I will do this by:1. Examining whether increasing HRV affects the thinking patterns that are known to underpin excessive worry.2. Examining whether increasing HRV over a number of sessions reduces symptoms of GAD.3. Examining whether providing a body-based intervention (increasing HRV) in combination with a mind-based intervention (cognitive training to reduce worry) is more effective at reducing GAD symptoms than either intervention by itself. This research has potential to provide a new type of therapy for GAD. If increasing HRV is as effective at reducing GAD symptoms as other treatments, then this new treatment approach could ensure that service-users have greater choice when thinking about what treatment they would prefer to engage with. If increasing HRV combined with cognitive therapy improves the effectiveness of cognitive training, then there is potential to examine the usefulness of offering both treatments in combination in future research.

我们都会时不时地感到担忧，但对于一些患有广泛性焦虑症 (GAD) 的人来说，担忧可能会变得无法控制、耗时且令人痛苦。除了对我们的思维和感受方式产生负面影响外，广泛性焦虑症还影响我们的身体健康。当人们长期过度忧虑时，往往会伴随着身体的变化。一个重要的变化是每次心跳之间的时间间隔。在健康的身体中，每次心跳之间的时间间隔是不规则的。每次连续心跳之间的时间间隔（以毫秒为单位）称为心率变异性 (HRV)。高 HRV（例如连续心跳之间的时间变化较大）与健康的身心相关。先前的研究表明，高 HRV 与能够更好地管理我们的情绪状态有关，例如能够降低负面情绪状态的强度。患有广泛性焦虑症的人往往会在很长一段时间内经历低心率变异，因为经历高度担忧与低心率变异之间存在关联。如果不及时治疗，低 HRV 还会使人们在以后的生活中面临心脏健康状况不佳的风险。推荐的广泛性焦虑症治疗方法是认知行为疗法 (CBT)。这种疗法帮助人们更好地理解思想、感受和行为之间的关系。尽管这种治疗对很多人都有帮助，但恢复率存在很大差异，只有 50% 的人在 CBT 后从 GAD 中恢复。这意味着虽然 CBT 对很多人有帮助，但也有一些人在治疗后无法康复。因此，我们研究治疗广泛性焦虑症的新方法非常重要。我们知道，高度忧虑与低 HRV 之间存在关联。一种可能成功减少广泛性焦虑症关键症状（例如过度担忧）的方法是增加人们的心率变异性（HRV），看看是否可以降低担忧程度。 HRV 与呼吸模式相关，因此可以通过教人们以特定的速率跳动来增加 HRV。先前的研究表明，增加人们的心率变异性与降低焦虑水平有关。然而，这项研究并不包括那些经历过高度焦虑和忧虑的人（如广泛性焦虑症中所见），而且该研究并不总是有高质量的设计。因此，根据我们目前掌握的信息，很难就增加 HRV 作为广泛性焦虑症治疗的有效性得出明确的结论。我建议研究 HRV 增加与广泛性焦虑症症状之间的关系，并就增加 HRV 是否可以减轻广泛性焦虑症症状（例如降低担忧程度）提供答案。我将通过以下方式做到这一点：1。检查 HRV 的增加是否会影响导致过度担忧的思维模式。2．检查多次增加 HRV 是否可以减轻广泛性焦虑症 (GAD) 的症状。3。检查提供基于身体的干预措施（增加 HRV）与基于思想的干预措施（减少忧虑的认知训练）相结合是否比单独的干预措施更能有效地减少广泛性焦虑症症状。这项研究有可能为广泛性焦虑症提供一种新型疗法。如果增加 HRV 与其他治疗方法一样能有效减少广泛性焦虑症症状，那么这种新的治疗方法可以确保服务使用者在考虑他们更愿意接受哪种治疗时有更多的选择。如果增加 HRV 与认知治疗相结合可以提高认知训练的有效性，那么就有可能在未来的研究中检验两种治疗方法相结合的有用性。