Development of audio-guided deep breathing and auditory Go/No-Go task on evaluating its impact on the wellness of young adults: a pilot study

Abstract

Abstract Objectives Numerous studies indicate that deep breathing (DB) enhances wellbeing. Multiple deep breathing methods exist, but few employ audio to reach similar results. This study developed audio-guided DB and evaluated its immediate impacts on healthy population via self-created auditory Go/No-Go task, tidal volume changes, and psychological measures. Methods Audio-guided DB with natural sounds to guide the DB was developed. Meanwhile, audio-based Go/No-Go paradigm with Arduino was built to measure the attention level. Thirty-two healthy young adults (n=32) were recruited. Psychological questionnaires (Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), Cognitive and Affective Mindfulness Scale-Revised (CAMS-R), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)), objective measurements with tidal volume and attention level with auditory Go/No-Go task were conducted before and after 5 min of DB. Results Results showed a significant increment in tidal volume and task reaction time from baseline (p=0.003 and p=0.033, respectively). Significant correlations were acquired between (1) task accuracy with commission error (r=−0.905), (2) CAMS-R with task accuracy (r=−0.425), commission error (r=0.53), omission error (r=0.395) and PSS (r=−0.477), and (3) RSES with task reaction time (r=−0.47), task accuracy (r=−0.362), PSS (r=−0.552) and CAMS-R (r=0.591). Conclusions This pilot study suggests a link between it and young adults’ wellbeing and proposes auditory Go/No-Go task for assessing attention across various groups while maintaining physical and mental wellness.