Psychological and Physiological Effects of Relaxation and Nitrous Oxide Training

Abstract

Training in progressive muscle relaxation can improve psychophysiological response to stress but is often time-consuming and may prove ineffective for some individuals. Nitrous Oxide (N2O)may offer an effective adjunct or alternative to training. This study evaluated the relative efficacy of these procedures. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of four treatment conditions: relaxation-only, N2O only, relaxation with N2O, and room air-control. The relaxation procedure was modeled on color videotape. Nitrous oxide was administered from a balloon. In addition to various psychological measures, treatment effects were measured for skin temperature, heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and two measures of diastolic blood pressure. Subjective reports of tension were also recorded. There was a significant multivariate difference between treatment groups. The relaxation-only procedure was generally superior to the others on most dependent measures. Subjects receiving N2O appear to have experienced an improvement in mood. Paradoxically, the initially more relaxed subjects seemed to derive the greater benefit from the inhalation of N2O. The use of videotape-modeled relaxation procedures is discussed.