Researchers found that people using a huggable breathing cushion were more relaxed in the lead up to the questions than people without one.
We were excited to find that holding the breathing cushion, without any guidance, produced a similar effect on anxiety in students as a meditation practice, according to engineer Alice Haynes from the University of Bristol and colleagues.
Many of us have experienced stress over the last few years, and we are still jittery. The conditions we have been facing have created new anxieties.
The global situation added almost an extra 80 million new cases of anxiety disorders, an increase of over 25 percent, in 2020 alone.
For some, traditional methods like meditation do not seem to help, for example, focusing on breathing can make one feel like they cannot breathe. It can be difficult to find therapy that is affordable, and it can also be difficult to find drugs that work for some people.
Researchers are constantly looking for new techniques that could help those of us who are struggling to find our way back to the land of calm.
The 36 centimeter (14 inch) cushion with an inflatable pocket connecting to an external pump and motor was designed to encourage slow, deep diaphragmatic breathing, associated with easing anxiety, through its shape and rate of movement.
Haynes and her team wrote a paper in the journal, PLOS One, in 2022.
The volunteers were told about the math test. Around a third of participants hugged the cushion, another third participated in guided meditation, and the final third had no task as the control group.
The second questionnaires of the meditation group suggested they were less anxious than the control.
A focus group found the breathing one most soothing after testing five prototype cushions.
This device could prove to be perfect for people who are vulnerable and struggle with everyday activities, like those with dementia. A preliminary trial with three dementia patients has shown promise, with all three participants wanting to take the cushion home with them.
Hayne and colleagues don't know which part of the huggable device is responsible for reducing anxiety. It's possible that the breathing rate helps users maximize their own breaths.
Even a small pillow can reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol. As this pillow mimics human breathing, it may be possible to mitigate feelings of loneliness.
The researchers hope to develop a cordless version of the device to investigate its effects in a natural home environment.
The team writes in their paper that the experiment demonstrated that holding the breathing cushion interface is an effective alternative to mindful breathing practices at reducing anxiety without need for training or guidance.
They conclude that the ability of the device to be used intuitively opens it up to providing wider audiences with accessible anxiety relief.
The research was published in a journal.
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