Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 8, 2025
08:36
Collecting Sleep, Circadian, Fatigue, and Performance Data in Complex Operational Environments
Published on: August 8, 2019
12.0K
A Pilot Study Examining Biofeedback and Structured Napping to Promote Medical Student Wellbeing.
Caridad Hernandez1, Katherine Daly1, Anuja Mehta1
1University of Central Florida College of Medicine.
Mededpublish (2016)
|December 13, 2023
Summary
Structured napping shows promise for improving medical student wellbeing. Heart-rate variability biofeedback requires further investigation for its impact on stress and burnout in medical education.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Psychology
- Public Health
Background:
- Medical students experience high levels of stress and burnout.
- Wellness interventions are crucial for supporting student mental health.
- The effectiveness of biofeedback and structured napping needs further evaluation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess medical students' engagement in wellness activities.
- To evaluate the impact of heart-rate variability (HRV) biofeedback and structured napping on stress, burnout, and wellbeing.
- To compare intervention effects against a control group.
Main Methods:
- A randomized trial involving pre-clinical medical students.
- Interventions included 3x weekly HRV biofeedback sessions and 20-minute structured naps.
- Psychosocial self-report questionnaires measured outcomes at baseline and follow-up.
Main Results:
- 42 students enrolled; 276 naps and 24 biofeedback recordings were logged.
- Structured napping demonstrated potential as a wellness intervention.
- HRV biofeedback yielded inconclusive results in this study.
Conclusions:
- Institution-initiated structured napping may promote medical students' mental health.
- HRV biofeedback requires additional research to confirm its benefits for student wellbeing.
- Further studies are needed to explore the efficacy of biofeedback interventions.
