BRAIN SLEEP Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Atsushi Hirota; hereinafter "BRAIN SLEEP") collaborated with BREATHER Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Shigenobu Tatsuoka; hereinafter "BREATHER") and BP&CO. Co., Ltd.(Business Headquarters: Kita-ku, Kyoto; Representative: Takashi Onuki; hereinafter "BP&CO.") to conduct a study on sleep and breathing. The results of the study showed that consciously incorporating deep breathing before sleep leads to a dominance of the parasympathetic nervous system and an improvement in sleep quality. Background of the Initiative Deep breathing is said to regulate the autonomic nervous system and induce a state of relaxation, making it an important function that affects sleep. To convey the importance of deep breathing, BRAIN SLEEP decided to collaborate with BREATHER, which has long focused on the potential of deep breathing, to conduct a study on the effects of deep breathing on the body.As the first phase, a study on "The Effect of Deep Breathing in Sauna Bathing*1" was conducted, which showed that consciously incorporating deep breathing optimized the switching of the autonomic nervous system during sauna bathing, leading to a deeper "totono.".This time, as the second phase, in collaboration with BP&CO., we conducted this study to investigate the potential of deep breathing before sleep from the perspective of sleep. In this study, 20 men and women were measured for sleep on days when they lived their normal lives and after practicing deep breathing for about 20 minutes before sleep using the "deep breathing support device ston s." The deep breathing method used with ston s was "Kihon no Kokyu®" (basic breathing), a deep breathing technique proposed by breathing consultant Takashi Onuki. *1 "100plus × BREATHER × BRAIN SLEEP Joint Study ~ Deep Breathing Maximizes Sauna Effects ~" https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000239.000046684.html Study Overview Study period: January-February 2025Number of subjects: 20 men and women aged 20-60s (subjects measured for 3 nights or more under each condition were included in the analysis)Product used: Deep breathing support device ston s (manufactured by BREATHER) *2Study method: Crossover study in which participants experienced both "normal sleep condition (normal life without deep breathing)" and "ston s use condition (practicing deep breathing *3 for about 20 minutes before sleep using ston s)"Measurement items: Electroencephalogram (EEG), autonomic nervous system, activity level, questionnaire evaluation (OSA Sleep Questionnaire) *4 *2 In this study, subjects selected one preferred flavor from coconut or chamomile, neither of which contained caffeine/GABA.*3 Deep breathing proposed by breathing consultant Takashi Onuki (Kihon no Kokyu®).*4 A statistical measure of sleep sensation, a general sleep evaluation method advocated by the Japan Sleep Improvement Association. Study Results The following results suggest that practicing deep breathing using ston s for approximately 20 minutes before sleep leads to a dominant parasympathetic nervous system, creating a state of relaxation, and further improving sleep quality, as indicated by both subjective and objective measures. Since ston s without caffeine/GABA was used in this study, these results are considered to be the effect of practicing deep breathing itself.Result ①: Subjective data from questionnairesWe compared subjective evaluations of sleep using the OSA questionnaire, a psychological scale that assesses one's sleep upon waking. Among the five sleep factors, the following three sleep factors showed significantly higher scores when ston s was used compared to normal sleep.I. Sleepiness upon waking:覚醒度II. Sleep onset and maintenance: ease of falling asleep and depth of sleepIV. Fatigue recovery: degree of fatigue recovery upon waking (feeling refreshed) Result ②: Objective data from EEGSleep stages during sleep were determined using an electroencephalograph. As a result, compared to normal sleep, ston s showed a significant decrease in the duration of awakenings and an increase in the proportion of the deepest sleep (non-REM sleep stage 3 (hereinafter, "S3")). Furthermore, an increase in the proportion of the deepest sleep (S3) was also observed during the first cycle of sleep ("golden 90 minutes"), which significantly affects sleep quality. Result ③: Objective data from autonomic nervous systemHeart rate variability (HRV) was analyzed for 30 minutes before bedtime (for the ston s use condition, this was the time from practicing deep breathing until bedtime) using an autonomic nervous system monitor. In this study, RMSSD, an HRV evaluation index representing parasympathetic nervous system activity, was adopted. As a result, it was confirmed that HRV was significantly higher when ston s was used compared to normal sleep. This result suggests that the parasympathetic nervous system is dominant, indicating a higher level of relaxation. Comment from Takashi Onuki, Representative of BP&CO. Co., Ltd. and Breathing Consultant Humans are believed to breathe about 6,000 times while sleeping, and I believed that if the quality of this breathing was poor, the quality of sleep would also be poor. However, intervening in breathing during sleep was a rather difficult challenge. At breathing salons, we receive many comments such as "I can sleep better now," and in a sense, I am relieved that this study showed that practicing deep breathing before sleep actually improved overall sleep quality. Instead of giving up on controlling sleep quality and breathing during sleep, I hope that the habit of regulating breathing before sleep will become more widespread. Comment from Daiki Matsui, COO of BRAIN SLEEP Co., Ltd. This study visualized the effects of deep breathing on sleep. Initially, we expected improvements mainly in "sleep onset," but the results showed an improvement in overall sleep quality. Furthermore, the proportion of deeper sleep increased during the first cycle of sleep, the "golden 90 minutes," which is the deepest period of sleep and is highly valued by BRAIN SLEEP. This study focused on practicing deep breathing before sleep, but further positive effects are expected, such as the long-term impact of making deep breathing a habit.
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