![]() ![]() A few mobile apps for breathing training have been proposed in the literature, e.g., in the Mobile Heart Health project (Morris & Guilak, 2009). In general, smartphones are increasingly seen as a versatile m-health instrument for treatment and training, in medicine as well as psychology (Miller, 2012), and some authors predict that the mobile phone will emerge as the preferred personal coach for the 21st century (Morris & Guilak, 2009). Moreover, the cost of a smartphone app is typically low, and it is relatively easy to find free apps. They follow their users anywhere, so a breathing training app could be always available to support users at any moment. ![]() ![]() Smartphones can be a novel opportunity to improve breathing training. Furthermore, the transition to applying the skills learned through exercises in everyday life remains a challenge (Morris & Guilak, 2009). Unfortunately, specialized hardware may be costly and not always available when required, e.g., when stress strikes. The goal of these systems is to provide real-time adaptation of the training to users’ physiology. In general, these systems exploit wearable devices like elastic girth sensors to record users’ breathing activity (e.g., Liu et al., 2011, Mitchell et al., 2010), sometimes combining them with other devices, e.g., a portable music player (Elliott et al., 2004, Schein et al., 2001). Recently, some authors (Elliott et al., 2004, Liu et al., 2011, Mitchell et al., 2010, Schein et al., 2001) have focused on specialized hardware to guide the trainee during breathing exercises. Audio CDs are often used to support breathing practice at home. Moreover, deep and slow breathing is useful also for handling stress in personal situations such as school exams, job interviews, public speaking and various kinds of social interactions. Integrating breathing exercises with more general relaxation training can also ameliorate respiratory symptoms in patients with asthma (Holloway & West, 2007).īreathing exercises are traditionally learned in courses with trainers, e.g., courses for pregnant women in preparation to labor, programs for dealing with medical conditions such as hypertension or stress-related disorders, stress management courses for different professions that encounter stressful situations in the field (e.g., soldiers, first responders, nurses, doctors, etc.). Furthermore, several medical studies have reported that breathing exercises can also have positive effects on the circulatory system, by helping to lower blood pressure (Grossman et al., 2001, Joseph et al., 2005, Radaelli et al., 2004). In general, hyperventilation can lead to physical sensations resembling anxiety (Hazlett-Stevens, 2008) and symptoms typical of panic attacks (Conrad et al., 2007). These benefits can be explained by the fact that deep and slow breathing exercises contrast the effects of fast and shallow chest breathing, which is a common automatic habit, e.g., in patients with anxiety disorders (Hazlett-Stevens, 2008). We discuss which features could have allowed one visualization (but not the other) to obtain better results than traditional audio-only instructions.ĭeep and slow breathing, as well as more complex breathing exercises such as Yogic breathing, have been found to be an effective adjunct in the treatment of stress, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), chronic pain and depression (Brown and Gerbarg, 2005, Bush et al., 2012, Han et al., 1996), and in the achievement of relaxation (Grossman, Grossman, Schein, Zimlichman, & Gavish, 2001). This indicates that a visualization can contribute to the effectiveness of breathing training apps. One visualization produces better results both objectively (measured deepness of breath) and subjectively (users’ preferences and perceived effectiveness) than the more traditional audio-only design. We carry out a thorough analysis, focusing on users’ physiological parameters as well as subjective perception. The first employs audio instructions as in traditional training based on audio CDs, while the other two include visualizations of the breathing process, representative of those employed in current breathing training apps. In this paper, we study three different designs for breathing training apps. Recently, mobile apps have been proposed as novel breathing training tools, but to the best of our knowledge no research has focused on their evaluation so far. Breathing techniques are traditionally learned in courses with trainers and/or with materials such as audio CDs for home practice. Deep and slow breathing exercises can be an effective adjunct in the treatment of stress, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain and depression. ![]()
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