Stress is pervasive in the United States today, and most Americans say they don’t have enough time to manage stress. The American Psychological Association’s 2010 Stress in America Survey found that the majority of Americans felt moderate to high levels of stress. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most stressed, anxious Americans reported an average stress level of 5.4 points. Biofeedback machines are a safe and effective tool in the battle against stress.
Biofeedback
Biofeedback is a process that teaches people how to improve their health by listening for and responding to body signals. Precise instruments measure physiological activity, such as heart function, respiration, brain waves, muscle activity and skin temperature. A person feeling stress may experience rapid pulse, panting, racing thoughts, nervous energy and flushed skin. The machines feed information immediately and accurately back to the user in a way that he can interpret and change his behavior accordingly, perhaps by consciously slowing his breathing and thinking calm thoughts. A person interacts with the biofeedback machine to learn how conscious behavior reduces physical manifestations of stress.
Efficacy
Biofeedback is effective for reducing anxiety, according to the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback. This organization gives biofeedback an exceptionally high efficacy rating for reducing anxiety, stating that biofeedback for this condition is superior to placebo therapy or pills or alternative bonafide treatment in two or more independent research settings.
Machines
Penn State Materials Research Institute suggests that manufacturers have inundated the market with ineffective or unconventional machines purporting to offer biofeedback. Legitimate biofeedback machines use blinking lights, audible tones or computer-generated images to alert the user to changes in physiology, giving the user a way to immediately interpret and respond to the changes. Ineffective biofeedback machines either do not accurately measure important physiological changes or don’t return the information to the user in a meaningful and useful way. Some ineffective biofeedback machine programs send the date to an expert for interpretation rather than directly to the user. This prevents the user from learning how to change his behavior to reduce stress.
Participate
Talk with your doctor about using a biofeedback machine to reduce your stress. She will give you an examination to rule out any underlying disorders and refer you to a therapist trained in biofeedback. Biofeedback is a learning process, and your therapist will teach you how to use a biofeedback machine so you can better manage your stress.
