Alternative and Complementary Modalities for Managing Stress and Anxiety

Keegan, Lynn

doi:10.4037/ccn2003.23.3.55

Cited by 12 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Nurses primarily expected greater benefits in terms of spiritual well-being (56%), inner peace (54%), or serenity (54%) compared with physical outcomes such as better sleep (42%), immunity (36%), or blood pressure (29%). This information builds on results from earlier surveys in which nurses expected that complementary therapies would be helpful with a variety of physical and mental concerns including anxiety, pain, and insomnia [ 50 , 55 , 56 ]. Matching recruitment materials and outcome measures with nurses' expectations about benefits may improve recruitment and retention in future training programs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Nurses' experiences, expectations, and preferences for mind-body practices to reduce stress

Kemper

Bulla

Krueger

et al. 2011

BMC Complement Altern Med

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BackgroundMost research on the impact of mind-body training does not ask about participants' baseline experience, expectations, or preferences for training. To better plan participant-centered mind-body intervention trials for nurses to reduce occupational stress, such descriptive information would be valuable.MethodsWe conducted an anonymous email survey between April and June, 2010 of North American nurses interested in mind-body training to reduce stress. The e-survey included: demographic characteristics, health conditions and stress levels; experiences with mind-body practices; expected health benefits; training preferences; and willingness to participate in future randomized controlled trials.ResultsOf the 342 respondents, 96% were women and 92% were Caucasian. Most (73%) reported one or more health conditions, notably anxiety (49%); back pain (41%); GI problems such as irritable bowel syndrome (34%); or depression (33%). Their median occupational stress level was 4 (0 = none; 5 = extreme stress). Nearly all (99%) reported already using one or more mind-body practices to reduce stress: intercessory prayer (86%), breath-focused meditation (49%), healing or therapeutic touch (39%), yoga/tai chi/qi gong (34%), or mindfulness-based meditation (18%). The greatest expected benefits were for greater spiritual well-being (56%); serenity, calm, or inner peace (54%); better mood (51%); more compassion (50%); or better sleep (42%). Most (65%) wanted additional training; convenience (74% essential or very important), was more important than the program's reputation (49%) or scientific evidence about effectiveness (32%) in program selection. Most (65%) were willing to participate in a randomized trial of mind-body training; among these, most were willing to collect salivary cortisol (60%), or serum biomarkers (53%) to assess the impact of training.ConclusionsMost nurses interested in mind-body training already engage in such practices. They have greater expectations about spiritual and emotional than physical benefits, but are willing to participate in studies and to collect biomarker data. Recruitment may depend more on convenience than a program's scientific basis or reputation. Knowledge of participants' baseline experiences, expectations, and preferences helps inform future training and research on mind-body approaches to reduce stress.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Nurses' experiences, expectations, and preferences for mind-body practices to reduce stress

Kemper

Bulla

Krueger

et al. 2011

BMC Complement Altern Med

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“…More specifically, peripheral and non-uniform spatial lighting with low brightness helps to create a relaxing atmosphere [ 67 ]. Cool colors (e.g., blue, green, purple) have been associated with peaceful, calm, and restful environments [ 68 ].and aromatherapy, which uses essential oils for activating the olfactory system, is used as a complementary therapy for stress relief [ 69 ].…”

Section: Background Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving Stress Management and Sleep Hygiene in Intelligent Homes

Leonidis

Sykianaki

Tsolakou

et al. 2021

Sensors

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High stress levels and sleep deprivation may cause several mental or physical health issues, such as depression, impaired memory, decreased motivation, obesity, etc. The COVID-19 pandemic has produced unprecedented changes in our lives, generating significant stress, and worries about health, social isolation, employment, and finances. To this end, nowadays more than ever, it is crucial to deliver solutions that can help people to manage and control their stress, as well as to reduce sleep disturbances, so as to improve their health and overall quality of life. Technology, and in particular Ambient Intelligence Environments, can help towards that direction, when considering that they are able to understand the needs of their users, identify their behavior, learn their preferences, and act and react in their interest. This work presents two systems that have been designed and developed in the context of an Intelligent Home, namely CaLmi and HypnOS, which aim to assist users that struggle with stress and poor sleep quality, respectively. Both of the systems rely on real-time data collected by wearable devices, as well as contextual information retrieved from the ambient facilities of the Intelligent Home, so as to offer appropriate pervasive relaxation programs (CaLmi) or provide personalized insights regarding sleep hygiene (HypnOS) to the residents. This article will describe the design process that was followed, the functionality of both systems, the results of the user studies that were conducted for the evaluation of their end-user applications, and a discussion about future plans.

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“…Although few studies have been conducted using AT, positive changes have been reported, including reduction of stress and anxiety, promotion of physiological relaxation, decrease in depression, and effectiveness in induction of anesthesia (Keegan, 2003; Lee, 2003; Thomas, 2002). AT is a comforting mechanism easily used with infants and small children.…”

Section: Aromatherapy (At)mentioning

confidence: 99%