Exploring the acute cardiovascular effects of Floatation-REST
The central nervous system (CNS) exerts a strong regulatory influence over the cardiovascular system in response to environmental demands. Floatation-REST (Reduced Environmental Stimulation Therapy) is an intervention that minimizes stimulation from the environment, yet little is known about the aut...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-12-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Neuroscience |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2022.995594/full |
| _version_ | 1811186227057000448 |
|---|---|
| author | M. C. Flux Thomas H. Fine Tate Poplin Obada Al Zoubi Obada Al Zoubi William A. Schoenhals William A. Schoenhals Jesse Schettler Jesse Schettler Hazem H. Refai Jessyca Naegele Colleen Wohlrab Hung-Wen Yeh Hung-Wen Yeh Hung-Wen Yeh Christopher A. Lowry Jason C. Levine Ryan Smith Sahib S. Khalsa Sahib S. Khalsa Justin S. Feinstein Justin S. Feinstein Justin S. Feinstein |
| author_facet | M. C. Flux Thomas H. Fine Tate Poplin Obada Al Zoubi Obada Al Zoubi William A. Schoenhals William A. Schoenhals Jesse Schettler Jesse Schettler Hazem H. Refai Jessyca Naegele Colleen Wohlrab Hung-Wen Yeh Hung-Wen Yeh Hung-Wen Yeh Christopher A. Lowry Jason C. Levine Ryan Smith Sahib S. Khalsa Sahib S. Khalsa Justin S. Feinstein Justin S. Feinstein Justin S. Feinstein |
| author_sort | M. C. Flux |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The central nervous system (CNS) exerts a strong regulatory influence over the cardiovascular system in response to environmental demands. Floatation-REST (Reduced Environmental Stimulation Therapy) is an intervention that minimizes stimulation from the environment, yet little is known about the autonomic consequences of reducing external sensory input to the CNS. We recently found that Floatation-REST induces a strong anxiolytic effect in anxious patients while paradoxically enhancing their interoceptive awareness for cardiorespiratory sensations. To further investigate the physiologic nature of this anxiolytic effect, the present study measured acute cardiovascular changes during Floatation-REST using wireless and waterproof equipment that allowed for concurrent measurement of heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), breathing rate, and blood pressure. Using a within-subjects crossover design, 37 clinically anxious participants with high levels of anxiety sensitivity and 20 non-anxious comparison participants were randomly assigned to undergo a 90-min session of either Floatation-REST or an exteroceptive comparison condition that entailed watching a relaxing nature film. Measures of state anxiety and serenity were collected before and after each session, while indices of autonomic activity were measured throughout each session. HRV was calculated using both time-series and frequency domain analyses. Linear mixed-effects modeling revealed a significant main effect of condition such that relative to the film condition, Floatation-REST elicited significant decreases (p < 0.001) in diastolic blood pressure, systolic blood pressure, breathing rate, and certain metrics of HRV including the standard deviation of the interbeat interval (SDNN), low-frequency HRV, and very low-frequency HRV. Heart rate showed a non-significant trend (p = 0.073) toward being lower in the float condition, especially toward the beginning of the session. The only metric that showed a significant increase during Floatation-REST was normalized high-frequency HRV (p < 0.001). The observed physiological changes were consistent across both anxious and non-anxious participants, and there were no significant group by condition interactions. Blood pressure was the only cardiac metric significantly associated with float-related reductions in state anxiety and increases in serenity. These findings suggest that Floatation-REST lowers sympathetic arousal and alters the balance of the autonomic nervous system toward a more parasympathetic state.Clinical trial registration[https://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT03051074], identifier [NCT03051074]. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T13:42:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7d7ac9cb3f5a4cb19d65a4450b97797e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-453X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T13:42:05Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-7d7ac9cb3f5a4cb19d65a4450b97797e2022-12-22T04:21:12ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Neuroscience1662-453X2022-12-011610.3389/fnins.2022.995594995594Exploring the acute cardiovascular effects of Floatation-RESTM. C. Flux0Thomas H. Fine1Tate Poplin2Obada Al Zoubi3Obada Al Zoubi4William A. Schoenhals5William A. Schoenhals6Jesse Schettler7Jesse Schettler8Hazem H. Refai9Jessyca Naegele10Colleen Wohlrab11Hung-Wen Yeh12Hung-Wen Yeh13Hung-Wen Yeh14Christopher A. Lowry15Jason C. Levine16Ryan Smith17Sahib S. Khalsa18Sahib S. Khalsa19Justin S. Feinstein20Justin S. Feinstein21Justin S. Feinstein22Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, United StatesDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Toledo College of Medicine, Toledo, OH, United StatesLaureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, United StatesLaureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, United StatesDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Oklahoma, Tulsa, OK, United StatesLaureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, United StatesThe University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, United StatesLaureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, United StatesDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Oklahoma, Tulsa, OK, United StatesDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Oklahoma, Tulsa, OK, United StatesLaureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, United StatesLaureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, United StatesLaureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, United StatesChildren’s Mercy Research Institute, Kansas City, MO, United StatesUniversity of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, United StatesDepartment of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, United StatesDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Toledo College of Medicine, Toledo, OH, United StatesLaureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, United StatesLaureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, United StatesThe University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, United StatesLaureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK, United StatesThe University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, United StatesFloat Research Collective, Kihei, HI, United StatesThe central nervous system (CNS) exerts a strong regulatory influence over the cardiovascular system in response to environmental demands. Floatation-REST (Reduced Environmental Stimulation Therapy) is an intervention that minimizes stimulation from the environment, yet little is known about the autonomic consequences of reducing external sensory input to the CNS. We recently found that Floatation-REST induces a strong anxiolytic effect in anxious patients while paradoxically enhancing their interoceptive awareness for cardiorespiratory sensations. To further investigate the physiologic nature of this anxiolytic effect, the present study measured acute cardiovascular changes during Floatation-REST using wireless and waterproof equipment that allowed for concurrent measurement of heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), breathing rate, and blood pressure. Using a within-subjects crossover design, 37 clinically anxious participants with high levels of anxiety sensitivity and 20 non-anxious comparison participants were randomly assigned to undergo a 90-min session of either Floatation-REST or an exteroceptive comparison condition that entailed watching a relaxing nature film. Measures of state anxiety and serenity were collected before and after each session, while indices of autonomic activity were measured throughout each session. HRV was calculated using both time-series and frequency domain analyses. Linear mixed-effects modeling revealed a significant main effect of condition such that relative to the film condition, Floatation-REST elicited significant decreases (p < 0.001) in diastolic blood pressure, systolic blood pressure, breathing rate, and certain metrics of HRV including the standard deviation of the interbeat interval (SDNN), low-frequency HRV, and very low-frequency HRV. Heart rate showed a non-significant trend (p = 0.073) toward being lower in the float condition, especially toward the beginning of the session. The only metric that showed a significant increase during Floatation-REST was normalized high-frequency HRV (p < 0.001). The observed physiological changes were consistent across both anxious and non-anxious participants, and there were no significant group by condition interactions. Blood pressure was the only cardiac metric significantly associated with float-related reductions in state anxiety and increases in serenity. These findings suggest that Floatation-REST lowers sympathetic arousal and alters the balance of the autonomic nervous system toward a more parasympathetic state.Clinical trial registration[https://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT03051074], identifier [NCT03051074].https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2022.995594/fullanxietyinteroceptionautonomicheart rate variabilityblood pressure |
| spellingShingle | M. C. Flux Thomas H. Fine Tate Poplin Obada Al Zoubi Obada Al Zoubi William A. Schoenhals William A. Schoenhals Jesse Schettler Jesse Schettler Hazem H. Refai Jessyca Naegele Colleen Wohlrab Hung-Wen Yeh Hung-Wen Yeh Hung-Wen Yeh Christopher A. Lowry Jason C. Levine Ryan Smith Sahib S. Khalsa Sahib S. Khalsa Justin S. Feinstein Justin S. Feinstein Justin S. Feinstein Exploring the acute cardiovascular effects of Floatation-REST Frontiers in Neuroscience anxiety interoception autonomic heart rate variability blood pressure |
| title | Exploring the acute cardiovascular effects of Floatation-REST |
| title_full | Exploring the acute cardiovascular effects of Floatation-REST |
| title_fullStr | Exploring the acute cardiovascular effects of Floatation-REST |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring the acute cardiovascular effects of Floatation-REST |
| title_short | Exploring the acute cardiovascular effects of Floatation-REST |
| title_sort | exploring the acute cardiovascular effects of floatation rest |
| topic | anxiety interoception autonomic heart rate variability blood pressure |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2022.995594/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mcflux exploringtheacutecardiovasculareffectsoffloatationrest AT thomashfine exploringtheacutecardiovasculareffectsoffloatationrest AT tatepoplin exploringtheacutecardiovasculareffectsoffloatationrest AT obadaalzoubi exploringtheacutecardiovasculareffectsoffloatationrest AT obadaalzoubi exploringtheacutecardiovasculareffectsoffloatationrest AT williamaschoenhals exploringtheacutecardiovasculareffectsoffloatationrest AT williamaschoenhals exploringtheacutecardiovasculareffectsoffloatationrest AT jesseschettler exploringtheacutecardiovasculareffectsoffloatationrest AT jesseschettler exploringtheacutecardiovasculareffectsoffloatationrest AT hazemhrefai exploringtheacutecardiovasculareffectsoffloatationrest AT jessycanaegele exploringtheacutecardiovasculareffectsoffloatationrest AT colleenwohlrab exploringtheacutecardiovasculareffectsoffloatationrest AT hungwenyeh exploringtheacutecardiovasculareffectsoffloatationrest AT hungwenyeh exploringtheacutecardiovasculareffectsoffloatationrest AT hungwenyeh exploringtheacutecardiovasculareffectsoffloatationrest AT christopheralowry exploringtheacutecardiovasculareffectsoffloatationrest AT jasonclevine exploringtheacutecardiovasculareffectsoffloatationrest AT ryansmith exploringtheacutecardiovasculareffectsoffloatationrest AT sahibskhalsa exploringtheacutecardiovasculareffectsoffloatationrest AT sahibskhalsa exploringtheacutecardiovasculareffectsoffloatationrest AT justinsfeinstein exploringtheacutecardiovasculareffectsoffloatationrest AT justinsfeinstein exploringtheacutecardiovasculareffectsoffloatationrest AT justinsfeinstein exploringtheacutecardiovasculareffectsoffloatationrest |