JP2020081314A - Respiratory synchronization induction apparatus and respiratory synchronization induction method using the same as well as method for improving quality of break-state and method for improving quality of sleeping state - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide respiratory synchronization technology that is capable of synchronizing a user's respiratory cycle without difficulty.SOLUTION: A respiratory synchronization induction apparatus 10 includes: an enclosure 18 configured so as to impart a tactile sense by inflation and deflation to a user P; an inflation/deflation unit having an inflation/deflation mechanism 30 where the cycle and depth of the inflation and deflation of the enclosure 18 are configured variably; and a controller 20 for inflating and deflating the inflation/deflation unit. The controller 20 has an inflation/deflation cycle adjustment unit 20a for adjusting the cycle of the inflation and deflation of the inflation/deflation mechanism 30, and an inflation/deflation depth adjustment unit 20b for adjusting the depth of the inflation and deflation of the inflation/deflation mechanism 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a technique for inducing a respiratory cycle to be synchronized. The present invention also relates to a technique for inducing a user's psychological state by synchronizing the respiratory cycle.

The influence of breathing method and depth on psychology has been well studied for a long time, and examples include Buddhism, especially the Buddhism, Zen breathing method of yoga, Tanda breathing method used by martial artists. In these breathing methods, it is known that by keeping the tempo constant and breathing, the mental state can be calmed down and introduced into a relaxed or focused state.

The correlation between respiration and psychology is affected by the balance of sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves, and the activity balance of sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves changes depending on the tempo of abdominal breathing (Akiko Kataoka and Nahoko Shibuya), It has been reported that the parasympathetic nerve is dominant and stress markers are changed by practicing the sigh breathing method (Motoko Okuno, doctoral dissertation, Kyoto University).

Moreover, when the sympathetic nervous system is dominant, respiration is fast and regular, and when the parasympathetic nervous system is dominant, the respiratory rate decreases and the breath becomes slow and deep. Is reflected (Milic-Emili J., Lung; Akio Umezawa).

It is known that the relaxed state has a longer respiratory cycle than the normal state, and the respiratory cycle becomes shorter under stress conditions (Boiten, F., et al.).

Further, in hyperventilation syndrome caused by panic syndrome or deep stress load, the psychological state causes disorder of respiratory tempo, induces pH change of blood, and leads to numbness of the limbs and convulsions. The treatment of this hyperventilation syndrome is mainly to intentionally delay or stop breathing, and it can be understood from this pathological condition that the psychological state and the breathing and the whole body show a deep correlation.

From such studies, it is considered that the psychological state can be stabilized by adjusting the breathing to a constant slow tempo. Various techniques have been reported as techniques for that purpose, and one of them is a technique for inducing an external device or the like to synchronize the respiratory cycle of the user.

Various reports have been made on the technique for inducing the respiratory cycle to be synchronized, for the purpose of, for example, sleep induction and stress release.

For example, in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the user's breathing pattern is monitored, and until the monitored result reaches a desired breathing cycle, presentation of waveforms, light, sound, wind, vibration, etc. are used. Techniques are disclosed for inducing the user's respiratory cycle to be synchronized.

In addition, for example, in Patent Document 3 and Non-Patent Document 6, by using a stuffed animal or cushion provided with a breathing sound, an air blowing mechanism simulating breathing, an abdominal expansion/contraction mechanism, etc. , A technique for inducing to synchronize the respiratory cycle of a user is disclosed.

In addition, as for a technique of guiding a psychological state by an external stimulus, for example, Patent Document 4 describes that a state of consciousness is guided by a stereo acoustic signal, and thus the technique can be applied to sleep induction and repetition of learning and action.
Further, for example, Patent Document 5 describes that physiological data in a relaxed state of the user can be acquired in advance and the user can be guided to a relaxed state by blinking light based on the physiological data.
Further, for example, in Patent Document 6, a stimulus such as sound, video, and movement of a working model is provided to the user, and the stimulus is changed while monitoring the user's heartbeat, pulse, respiration, pupil opening, and the like. By doing so, it is stated that the desired psychological state can be approached.

JP, 2016-532481, A Japanese Patent Publication No. 2017-527326 JP, 2000-254358, A JP-A-6-190048 JP, 7-51374, A JP, 2004-222818, A

Akiko Kataoka and Naoko Shibuya; Journal of Japan Society of Nursing and Medical Care Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 14-18, June 2002. Motoko Okuno, Stress reduction effect by Zen breathing method-Evaluation by physiological index (saliva amylase/blood pressure) and psychological index (POMS/impression), Kyoto University doctoral dissertation Milic-Emili J. , Lung, 160, pp1-17, 1982. Umezawa Akio: Chapter 11 Respiratory Activity, New Physiology and Psychology Volume 1, Supervised by Hiroshi Miyata, Kiyoshi Fujisawa, Shoji Kakiki, Other Editors, Kitaoji Shobo, pp196-209, 1998 Hiroki Uraya and Mieko Osuga, Ergonomics vol51, no. 6, pp 428-434, 2015 Boiten, F.; , Frijda, N.; H. , & Wientjes, J.; C. (1994). International Journal of Psychophysiology, 17, 103128.

However, the breathing synchronization induction technology disclosed in the above-mentioned prior art documents requires a device for monitoring the breathing cycle of the user, and is therefore a large-scale device corresponding to the device required for monitoring. Therefore, there is a problem to be solved in constructing an inexpensive device.
In addition, if physiological data needs to be acquired in advance, or learning and training are required before the respiratory cycle is synchronized with the device (for example, inhalation when light is emitted and exhalation when extinguished is peculiar to equipment. In many cases, there is a problem to be solved in order to easily induce respiratory entrainment.

In particular, in breath entrainment for the purpose of relaxing or inducing sleep, the user cannot relax because he/she is conscious of learning/training, and thus cannot obtain the envisioned entrainment effect. is there. In particular, when the user is a child, it is difficult to consciously and properly synchronize the respiratory cycle.

Therefore, the present invention has been made focusing on such a problem, and can reasonably guide and synchronize the respiratory cycle of the user without the need for prior learning and training, An object of the present invention is to provide a respiratory synchronism induction device, a respiratory synchronism induction method using the same, a method for improving the quality of a resting state, and a method for improving the quality of a sleep state.

The inventors of the present application repeated various experiments using a device capable of adjusting the cycle of expansion and contraction, and when the depth of expansion and contraction was varied in addition to the cycle of expansion and contraction, the use of this device The inventor has found that his breathing cycle can be easily synchronized with the inflation and contraction cycles of the device, the time required for breathing synchronization can be shortened, and the degree of synchronization can be improved.

That is, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the breathing synchronism induction device according to one aspect of the present invention is configured to be able to provide a user with a tactile sensation due to expansion and contraction, and to be configured such that the cycle and depth of expansion and contraction are variable. An expansion/contraction part and a control part for expanding and contracting the expansion/contraction part, wherein the control part is an expansion/contraction cycle adjusting part for adjusting a cycle of expansion and contraction of the expansion/contraction part; And an expansion/contraction depth adjusting unit for adjusting the expansion/contraction depth of the expansion/contraction unit.

Here, in the respiratory synchronism induction device according to an aspect of the present invention, the inflating and deflating portion has a size and weight that can be carried and held by a person, such as a pillow, a cushion, or a stuffed animal. preferable.

In addition, it is preferable that the control unit is configured to be able to individually control the cycle of expansion and contraction in the expansion/contraction cycle adjusting unit and the depth of expansion and contraction in the expansion/contraction depth adjusting unit.
Further, the control unit may be a device integrated with a respiratory synchronism guidance device body including the expansion/contraction unit. Further, the control unit is provided as a device separate from the respiratory synchronism induction device main body including the expansion/contraction unit, and the expansion/contraction unit can be configured to be remotely controlled by wire or wireless.

According to the respiratory tuned guide apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention, for example, by deepening the depth of expansion and contraction when the expansion and contraction cycle is lengthened, compared to a conventional device that guides to synchronize the respiratory cycle, It can guide you to a quicker and more relaxed breath without difficulty, and you can easily approach a relaxed state. On the contrary, by shortening the expansion/contraction cycle and making the expansion/contraction depth shallow, it is possible to easily and comfortably guide the user's psychology to a tense state.

In particular, according to the respiratory tuned guidance apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention, when introducing tuning with the respiratory tuned guidance apparatus, for example, the depth of expansion and contraction is made shallow at the beginning of use and gradually expanded with time. By changing the expansion/contraction depth stepwise or steplessly according to the user's situation, such as increasing the contraction depth, the user can more easily and effortlessly tune to the respiratory tuning and guidance device.

Further, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a respiratory synchronism induction method according to an aspect of the present invention uses the respiratory synchronism induction apparatus according to any one of the aspects of the present invention, and a respiration of a user of the respiratory synchronism induction apparatus. It is characterized in that the cycle is synchronized with the cycle of expansion and contraction of the respiratory tuning and induction device.

Here, according to the breathing synchronism guidance device which concerns on 1 aspect of this invention, a user's psychological condition can be changed reasonably. In other words, it is known that there is a correlation between breathing and psychological state. Therefore, a psychological and physiological state can be guided by this respiratory synchronism guidance device.

Further, according to the breathing synchronism induction device according to the aspect of the present invention, it can be used as a device for promoting recovery of mental fatigue of the user at the time of resting, and promoting comfortable sleep introduction.

That is, the method for improving the quality of a rest state according to one aspect of the present invention uses the breathing entrainment induction method according to one aspect of the present invention to induce a change in the psychological state of the user, thereby reducing the rest period of the user. Characterized by improving quality.

Here, the quality of the break indicates, for example, the degree to which fatigue, particularly mental/psychological fatigue can be recovered during a break time in which the user rests without working for a certain period of time.
The degree of recovery from mental fatigue may be, for example, a subjective evaluation by an interview or a questionnaire, and can be evaluated by a simple calculation test such as the Uchida-Kraepelin psychological test before and after a break, or a result comparison such as a short-term memory test. It can also be evaluated by measuring the states of the sympathetic nerve and the parasympathetic nerve from the pulse, the electroencephalogram, etc., and comparing the values before and after the break.

Further, a method of improving the quality of sleep according to one aspect of the present invention, using the respiratory synchronization induction method according to one aspect of the present invention, by inducing a change in the psychological state of the user, sleep of the user. Characterized by improving quality.

Here, "sleep improvement" is a state that can be evaluated by criteria such as better falling asleep, improved insomnia, deeper sleep state, better mood after awakening, etc. It refers to the improvement of overall quality of sleep, such as promotion (promotion of falling asleep) and improvement of a feeling of deep sleep.

More specifically, it is not as good as taking sleeping pills or sleep-inducing pills, but it means increasing sleep satisfaction for people who have sleep dissatisfactions, such as light sleep, poor wake, and poor sleep. ..

In addition, sleep improvement can be evaluated by measuring an electroencephalogram, an electromyogram, an electrocardiogram, a body temperature, a blood pressure, a behavior (locommotion), etc., and examining the sleep amount of the animal. The quality of sleep can be evaluated by a publicly known method, for example, a standard determination method (Rechtschaffen A. & Kales A., A Manual of Standardized Terminology, Techniques, Systems, and Hedgehog. : Washington DC, 1968).

Specifically, a sleep polygraph is created based on measurement data such as brain waves from animals, and for each epoch of the sleep polygraph (for example, 4 to 60 seconds), the presence or absence of a behavior (locommotion) and the amplitude of the brain wave (δ wave). , The state of the animal may be discriminated as each stage of awakening, non-REM sleep, and REM sleep based on the θ-wave component ratio of the electroencephalogram [θ/(δ+θ)] and the like.
Awakening or sleep discrimination based on the sleep polygraph can be automatically performed by a sleep analysis research program: SleepSign (registered trademark) (Kissei Comtech Co., Ltd.) or the like. As a result of the discrimination, a substance having an increased sleep stage can be evaluated as a substance having an effect of improving sleep quality and capable of improving sleep disorders.

In the present invention, “improving sleep” particularly refers to the effect of shortening the sleep onset latency and the effect of prolonging the non-REM sleep time. The sleep onset latency means the time required from awake state to falling asleep, and is an index of good sleepiness.

The improvement in the quality of sleep according to the present invention can be used for the treatment of sleep disorders whose main complaint is insomnia. The method for improving the quality of sleep according to the present invention is applicable to, for example, insomnia, early insomnia (difficulty in falling asleep), mid-wake awakening, early awakening, deep sleep disorder, sleep cycle reversal, etc., but is not limited thereto. In addition, the method for improving the quality of sleep according to the present invention can be applied to all sleep disorders whose chief complaint is insomnia.

As described above, according to the present invention, the breathing cycle of the user can be reasonably guided and synchronized.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an embodiment of a respiratory tuning guide device according to the present invention. It is a schematic diagram explaining the part of the drive part of the expansion/contraction mechanism of the breathing synchronism induction device of FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a system configuration of the respiratory tuning and guidance device in FIG. 1. 3 is a graph illustrating an example of control of an expansion/contraction cycle and an expansion/contraction depth by the respiratory tuning and guidance device of FIG. 1. It is a figure ((a)-(c)) explaining the image which the change of a user's psychological state is induced|guided|derived by the breathing tuning guidance method by the breathing tuning guidance apparatus of FIG. It is a graph explaining an example of the effect of the improvement method of the quality of the rest state concerning the present invention.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The drawings are schematic. Therefore, it should be noted that the relationship between the thickness and the plane size, the ratio, and the like are different from the actual ones, and the drawings include portions in which the dimensional relationship and ratio are different from each other.
In addition, the embodiments described below exemplify devices and methods for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and the technical idea of the present invention is that the material, shape, structure, and arrangement of components are Etc. are not specified in the following embodiments.

(Structure of respiration synchronization induction device)
As shown in an example of a usage mode in FIG. 5, the breathing tuning and guidance device 10 of the present embodiment can be embraced by the user P such as a pillow (including a dakimakura), a cushion, or a stuffed animal imitating the shape of a living thing. Equipment.

If the respiratory tuning and guidance device 10 is too small or too large, it becomes difficult for the user P to tune. Therefore, it is preferable that the user P has a size that can be held, for example, the weight is such that it can be put on the knee, and the external appearance has a cylindrical shape like a body pillow.

As shown in FIG. 1, the respiratory synchronism guidance device 10 includes a housing 18 that can provide a tactile sensation to the user P, and a cushion portion 1 that covers the housing 18 from the outside. The cushion portion 1 is formed into a bag shape by a flexible sheet such as cloth, and is filled with batting so as to have a cushioning property at an appropriate position according to the mode embraced by the user P. In the present embodiment, the casing 18 is entirely covered by the cushion portion 1 and has a form such as a cushion or a body pillow.

Further, the material forming the cushion portion 1 is not particularly limited as long as the user P can feel the expansion and contraction by touch. The cushion portion 1 is preferably made of a material having an appropriate softness so that the expansion and contraction are transmitted to the user P so that the user P can feel the expansion and contraction by touch. It should be noted that the arrow indicated by the symbol M in FIG. 1 shows an image in which the movable base 3 slides in the direction opposite to the fixed base 2, and the upward movement in the figure corresponds to expansion (symbol E). The downward movement in the figure corresponds to contraction (reference C).

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the housing 18 includes a fixed base 2 having a rectangular plate shape, a movable base 3 having a rectangular plate shape that is arranged to face the fixed base 2, and an upright position of the fixed base 2. And a support base 4 installed and arranged. The support base 4 is fixed to the upper surface of the fixed base 2 at the base end side, and the fixed state is reliably held by a plurality of support beams 11 provided at appropriate places. The fixed base 2, the movable base 3, and the support base 4 are made of, for example, lightweight aluminum alloy steel.

Further, the support base 4 is provided with an expansion/contraction mechanism 30 configured to expand/contract the housing 18 so as to expand/contract. The expansion/contraction mechanism 30 is configured so that the controller 20 shown in FIG. 3 can adjust the expansion/contraction cycle and the expansion/contraction depth at the same time.
In the present embodiment, the expansion/contraction mechanism 30 has shown an example in which the expansion/contraction mechanism 30 that repeats expansion/contraction is built in the housing 18, but the expansion/contraction mechanism 30 is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a balloon. In addition, the housing 18 itself can be configured to expand and contract.

As shown in FIG. 1, the expansion/contraction mechanism 30 of the present embodiment includes a motor 5 and a rotary encoder 6. The motor 5 is fixed to the inner wall surface of the support base 4 via a motor support base 15. Further, the rotary encoder 6 is fixed to the inner wall surface of the support base 4 via the encoder support base 14 at a position on the opposite side coaxially facing the motor 5.
Rack-and-pinion mechanisms 7 and 8 are provided between the motor 5 and the rotary encoder 6. Further, two sets of slide guides 9 are provided in parallel in parallel with the rack 8 of the rack and pinion mechanism 7, 8.

The rack-and-pinion mechanisms 7 and 8 have a pinion support base 16, and the base end portion of the pinion support base 16 is fixed to the inner wall surface of the support base 4. The pinion 7 is rotatably supported by the pinion support base 16 on the upper end side of the pinion support base 16 by a support shaft.
One end of a support shaft that supports the pinion 7 is coaxially connected to the output shaft of the motor 5 via a coupling 13. The other end of the support shaft supporting the pinion 7 is coaxially connected to the input shaft of the rotary encoder 6 via a coupling 12.

As shown in the schematic view of FIG. 2, a rack column 17 is hung on the lower surface of the movable base 3 along the direction in which the movable base 3 reciprocates, and the rack 8 is mounted at a position meshing with the pinion 7. Has been done. In this example, a rack support beam 19 is obliquely stretched and reinforced at a proper position of the rack support column 17 so as to connect the rack support column 17 and the movable base 3.

Note that the expansion/contraction mechanism 30 of the present embodiment is not limited to a mechanism that reciprocates the movable base 3, and may have a structure in which the housing portion actually expands and contracts (like a balloon). .. Further, it may be an up-and-down motion so that movements such as chest and abdomen when breathing a living thing can be felt. That is, it is sufficient that the user P can feel the "movement imitating breathing" by touch.

That is, the expansion/contraction mechanism 30 is not particularly limited, but the height of the cushion is operated by, for example, a reciprocating drive motor or a direct drive using a rack and pinion structure as in the present embodiment. You can do it. Further, it may be a motion mechanism that is converted into a reciprocating motion by a crank mechanism using rotation by a motor, or may be a mechanism that expands/contracts by changing an inflow amount of air like an airbag.

As shown in FIG. 3, the controller 20 is provided inside the housing as a device integrated with the respiratory synchronism induction device 10, and is connected to the motor 5 so that the controller 20 can perform drive control. The rotary encoder 6 is also connected to the controller 20 so that the position information of the output shaft of the motor 5 can be output to the controller 20 at any time. Further, the controller 20 is connected to the power supply 40 and is supplied with necessary electric power.

The controller 20 includes a microcomputer, and includes an expansion/contraction cycle adjusting unit 20a for adjusting the expansion/contraction cycle of the expansion/contraction mechanism 30, an expansion/contraction depth adjusting unit 20b for adjusting the expansion/contraction depth of the expansion/contraction unit, It is possible to control the expansion/contraction cycle and the expansion width of the expansion/contraction mechanism 30 by executing the expansion/contraction control program. As a result, the breathing tuning guide device 10 can efficiently tune the breathing of the user P.

Note that the controller 20 is not limited to the configuration provided as a device integrated with the respiratory synchronism guidance device 10 as in the present embodiment. For example, it can be configured to be connected via a cord or the like and can be remotely controlled. As the remote control, for example, an external control device such as a smartphone or a PC may be used, and the breathing tuning guide device 10 may be configured to be controllable by connection with the controller 20 via Bluetooth (registered trademark) or the Internet.

Here, in particular, in the breathing tuning guide apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the inflation/deflation control program executed by the controller 20 is, for example, at the beginning of use at the time of introduction of tuning with the breathing tuning guide apparatus, as shown in FIG. At (T1), the program is set so that the expansion/contraction cycle is relatively fast (F1) and the expansion/contraction depth is shallow (A1).
Then, the expansion/contraction control program gradually increases the expansion/contraction depth (from F2) as A2 to A3 gradually increase the expansion/contraction cycle as time elapses from T2 to T3, where A1<A2<A3. F3, where F1<F2<F3).
As in this example, according to the respiratory synchronism guidance device 10, the user can more simply and conveniently change the expansion and contraction cycle and the expansion and contraction depth stepwise or steplessly according to the situation of the user P. It is possible to tune to the breathing tuning guide device 10 without difficulty.

(Depth of expansion and contraction)
Here, in the expansion/contraction mechanism 30 of the present embodiment, the “deep depth” of the expansion/contraction depth means that the amplitude of expansion/contraction is larger than that when it is small. When the user P holds the cushion-like breathing synchronization inducing device 10, the bulge/swelling felt by the user P's body is larger than when it is small. The depth of expansion and contraction can be set appropriately.

(Synchronization of respiratory cycle)
Breathing includes pulmonary breathing and tissue breathing, but in the present invention, it refers to pulmonary breathing (inspiratory activity for taking air into the lungs and expiratory movement for expelling gas inside the lungs outside the body). One set of inspiration and expiration can be regarded as one breath, and can be indicated by the number of breaths per minute, for example. Although the respiratory cycle varies from person to person and varies depending on sex and age, the average respiratory cycle of a healthy adult at rest is about 12 to 20 times/minute.

The term “breathing cycle tuning” means that the breathing cycle is synchronized with the inflation and deflation cycle of the breathing synchronism induction device 10 (one set of inflation and deflation (referred to as “expansion and contraction cycle”) is once). .. The state of tuning is sensuous. Therefore, the tuning of the respiratory cycle includes an error. If the breathing cycle of the user P and the inflation/deflation period of the breathing tuning inducing device 10 are not significantly deviated, it is assumed that they are synchronized. A mechanism for monitoring the breathing cycle or depth of the user P may be provided, and the breathing state of the user P obtained by the monitoring mechanism may be reflected in the inflation/deflation period or depth. For example, the respiratory cycle and depth of the user P at the start of use of the respiratory tuning and guidance device 10 are monitored, and the expansion cycle and depth of the respiratory tuning and guidance device 10 are adjusted to the respiratory cycle and depth of the user P. Thus, the desired respiratory cycle and depth may be gradually changed.
The mechanism for monitoring the breathing cycle and depth of the user P is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a mechanism using an 8-axis acceleration sensor or conductive rubber, or a mechanism using a piezoelectric film.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the user P is used in a state of holding the respiratory synchronism induction device 10 capable of appropriately changing the cycle and depth of expansion and contraction. According to the present embodiment, for example, by executing the inflation/deflation control program shown in FIG. 4, the breathing cycle of the user P can be synchronized with the inflation/deflation cycle by the breath tuning and guidance device 10 without prior learning. It is possible to change the psychological condition of the user without difficulty. In addition, by adjusting the breathing of the user during sleep onset latency and guiding the breathing cycle to a breathing cycle suitable for sleep by the breathing synchronization inducing device 10, recovery of mental fatigue during a break can be promoted and sleep content can be improved.

By using the breathing tuning guide device 10 of the present embodiment, the psychological state of the user P can be guided to a relaxed state. This is especially induced by a long respiratory cycle. Moreover, when the psychological state of the user P is in a tense state, the user P can be guided to return to a normal state. Further, by shortening the breathing cycle, it is possible to induce the psychological state of the user P into a light tension state.

The breathing cycle varies from person to person. Therefore, the “long breathing cycle” that can induce the relaxed state and the “short breathing cycle” that can induce the tense state can be appropriately set according to the user P. Generally, it can be determined to be longer/shorter than 12 to 20 times/minute of the average adult respiratory cycle.

However, if the inflation cycle of the respiratory tuned induction device 10 (the induced breathing cycle) is too early, the user P will have difficulty in tuning, and if the inflation cycle is too slow, the breathing of the user P will be uncomfortable. .. Therefore, the respiratory cycle to be induced is, for example, 4 to 12 times/minute, preferably 5 to 10 times/minute, more preferably 5 to 8 times/minute in the case of a long respiratory cycle, and in the case of a short respiratory cycle. Is 20 to 30 times/minute, preferably 21 to 28 times/minute, and more preferably 22 to 27 times/minute, for example, the user P can appropriately set.

(Adjustment of expansion/contraction cycle)
Any known method may be used to adjust the expansion/contraction period. For example, when the expansion and contraction mechanism 30 is expanded and contracted by the reciprocating linear motion drive using the rack and pinion structure as in the present embodiment, the rotation speed and the rotation speed of the motor 5 are changed according to the expansion and contraction amount for one breath. May be controlled by the controller 20. Further, in the case of an expansion/contraction mechanism that allows air to flow in and out like a balloon, the compressor may be configured to be controlled by the controller 20.
An external control device such as a smartphone or a PC is used as a method of setting the respiratory cycle to be induced, and each set value for executing the inflation/deflation control program to the controller 20 (for example, A1 to A3, F1 to F3 in FIG. 4). , And values such as T1 to T3).

Hereinafter, a method for inducing a change in the psychological state of the user P by synchronizing the breathing cycle of the user P with the expansion and contraction cycle of the breathing synchronization guiding apparatus 10 by using the breathing tuning guide device 10 will be described based on an embodiment. To do.

[Example 1]
The first embodiment is an example of a respiratory tuning guide method in which the respiratory tuning guide device 10 described above is used to synchronize the respiratory cycle of the user P with the expansion and contraction cycles of the respiratory tuning guide device.
Using healthy university students as subjects (n=7), the respiration of the user P with respect to the respiratory synchronism induction device 10 when the respiratory synchronism induction device 10 of the above-described embodiment was used was evaluated. The experiment was carried out with noise canceling headphones attached so that white noise would flow in an individual space so that external sounds could not be heard.

A band-type respiration sensor (Biosignal Plux: manufactured by Creact Co., Ltd.) was attached to the chest of the user P, and the subject (user) P was provided with the breathing synchronism induction device 10, and as shown in FIG. It was instructed to hold the respiratory tuning and guidance device 10 in such a state as to hold it. The subject was not informed that the change in breathing by the breathing synchronism guidance device 10 was being measured, and no instruction was given to adjust the breathing to the movement of the breathing tune guidance device 10.

After that, the expansion/contraction cycle and expansion/contraction amount of the respiratory synchronism induction device 10 were changed, and the respiratory motion was presented for 5 minutes with each parameter. As the presentation conditions, three types of expansion/contraction cycle of 8, 15, and 24 times/min, and two types of expansion/contraction amount of 14 mm and 32 mm in the normal direction from the abdomen are prepared, and a combination of these conditions provides a total of six conditions. Prepared.

For comparison, the experiment was also performed under the condition that the respiratory synchronism guidance device 10 was simply held without presenting the respiratory motion to each subject. As a result of the experiment, the breathing pace/depth of the subject in the last 1 minute of the 5 minutes of the exercise presentation is shown in Table 1 below. Regarding the depth of breathing, Table 1 shows the results obtained by normalizing the results under the condition that no respiratory motion was presented for each subject.

From the results shown in Table 1, it was shown that the use of the respiratory synchronism inducing device 10 spontaneously synchronizes respiration without giving an instruction in advance, and also affects the depth of respiration. In addition, the degree of synchronization is higher for deep breaths with a long cycle (slow breath; long breath cycle), and for shallow breaths with a short cycle (fast breath; short breath cycle). Was shown.

[Example 2]
The second embodiment is an example of improving the quality of rest of the user by inducing a change in the psychological state of the user by using the breathing tuning inducing device 10. In this example, an experiment was conducted on changes in the physiological state and task performance of the user P by using the above-described respiratory synchronism guidance device 10 for a break between tasks.

In the second embodiment, changes in the physiological state and task performance of the user P are measured when the breathing synchronization inducing apparatus 10 is used for a break between tasks. With this, the influence of the respiratory synchronism guidance device 10 on the break was verified. In this example, healthy university students were used as subjects (n=7) to perform the following verification.

First, after resting for 1 minute, the subject was made to perform a 3-back task, which is a type of cognitive task, for 5 minutes. After that, the subject was given the breathing synchronization inducing device 10 for 5 minutes to have a break. After that, a 3-back task was imposed again for 5 minutes, and the performance of the task before and after the break was compared, and the physiological state (RR interval) during the break was compared.

The experiment was carried out in a separate space adjusted to 26° C. with noise canceling headphones that flow white noise so that external sounds cannot be heard. The subject was equipped with electrodes for measuring electrocardiography, and the RR interval (RRI) during the break was measured.

During the break between the tasks, the test subject was instructed to take a break by hugging the breathing synchronism induction device 10 with the breathing synchronism induction device 10 seated. As the condition of the movement of the respiratory synchronism guidance device 10 presented to the subject during the break, the 7 patterns shown in Example 1 were implemented (3 patterns of exercise cycle×2 patterns of expansion/contraction amount, 1 pattern without exercise presentation).

The results are shown in Table 2 below. The results of the RRI subjects without the presentation of respiratory movements were normalized. It has been confirmed by previous studies that the greater the RRI, the more severe the respiratory movements are and the more relaxed the state becomes.

From the results shown in Table 2, it was confirmed that the use of the breathing synchronization inducing apparatus 10 changes the physiological condition related to the stress of the subject. In particular, when the expansion/contraction cycle is long and the expansion/contraction amount is large, that is, when the patient is guided by a slow and deep breath, the RRI value is improved, so that the respiratory synchronism induction device 10 can improve the quality of the break. I was told that I could. On the contrary, it was suggested that a short swelling cycle could be presented and an intentionally frustrated situation could be created when induced by fast sucking and sucking.

In addition, FIG. 6 shows the difference (%) in the correct answer rate of the 3-back task before and after the break.
From the results shown in the figure, it was confirmed that the task performance is affected by using the respiratory synchronism guidance device 10 during a break. In particular, it was confirmed that the task performance after the break was improved when the breathing was induced during the break, and the task performance after the break was decreased when the breathing was induced during the break.

From the above results, it is effective to induce a slow deep breath when you want to improve the quality of the break, and to induce a fast breath when you want to create a body or physiological condition that has been stressed by training etc. It was suggested that.

In the present invention, as described based on the above-described embodiments and examples, the cushion-like breathing tuning and guidance device 10 is used to change the expansion/contraction depth at the same time as the expansion/contraction cycle. As a result, according to the present invention, the psychological state of the user can be reasonably changed more easily, deeper, and faster than the breathing tuning guidance technique disclosed in the above-mentioned prior art document. As a result, even in the case of a short break, it is possible to guide the user to the relaxed state better, and the user can efficiently take the break. It can also improve the quality of sleep.

Further, in the respiratory synchronism induction device 10 according to the present invention, even when there is no learning for respiratory synchronism in advance, biological data such as the respiratory cycle of the user P is not input/reflected. It will be understood, however, that the user P can naturally synchronize his/her breath with the respiratory tuning and guidance device 10 simply by holding the respiratory tuning and guidance device 10 and resting.

It should be noted that the breathing tuning technique according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and examples, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1 Cushion Part 2 Fixed Base 3 Movable Base 4 Support Base 5 Motor 6 Rotary Encoder 7 Pinion 8 Rack 9 Linear Guide 10 Breathing Tuning Guidance Device 11 Support Beams 12, 13 Coupling 14 Encoder Support Base 15 Motor Support Base 16 Pinion Support Base 17 Rack support 18 Case (expansion and contraction)
19 Rack support beam 20 Controller (control unit)
30 Expansion/contraction mechanism (expansion/contraction part)
40 power

Claims (8)

An expansion/contraction unit configured to be able to give a tactile sensation due to expansion and contraction to a user and having a variable expansion/contraction cycle and depth, and a control unit for expanding/contracting the expansion/contraction unit. ,
The control unit includes an expansion/contraction cycle adjusting unit that adjusts expansion and contraction cycles of the expansion/contraction unit, and an expansion/contraction depth adjusting unit that adjusts expansion and contraction depths of the expansion/contraction unit. Respiratory tuning guidance device. The respiratory tune induction device according to claim 1, wherein the inflating/deflating portion has a size and weight that can be carried and held by a person, such as a pillow, a cushion, or a stuffed animal. The said control part is comprised so that the cycle of expansion and contraction in the said expansion/contraction cycle adjustment part and the depth of expansion and contraction in the said expansion/contraction depth adjustment part can be controlled separately. Respiratory tuning induction device. The respiratory tuned guidance device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit is provided as a device integrated with a respiratory tuned guidance device main body including the expansion/contraction unit. The control unit is provided as a device separate from the respiratory synchronism induction device main body including the expansion/contraction unit, and the expansion/contraction unit is configured to be expandable/contractible by wire or wireless remote control. The respiratory synchronism induction device according to any one of 3 above. Using the respiratory tuning and induction device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A respiratory tuning guidance method, characterized in that a respiratory cycle of a user of the respiratory tuning guide apparatus is synchronized with a cycle of expansion and contraction of the respiratory tuning guide apparatus. A method for improving the quality of a resting state, which comprises improving the quality of a resting state of a user by inducing a change in a psychological state of the user using the method for inducing respiratory synchrony according to claim 6. A method of improving the quality of sleep of a user, which comprises improving the sleep quality of the user by inducing a change in the psychological state of the user using the method for inducing respiratory synchrony according to claim 6.

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