The Effect of 4‐7‐8 Breathing Exercise Technique on Tinnitus Handicap, Psychological Factors, and Sleep Quality in Tinnitus Patients: A Randomized Controlled Study

TL;DR

A 6-week 4-7-8 breathing exercise improved tinnitus symptoms, sleep, and stress in patients compared to a control group.

Contribution

The study demonstrates the 4-7-8 breathing technique as a novel, non-invasive supportive therapy for tinnitus management.

Findings

The experimental group showed significant decreases in tinnitus handicap, anxiety, and stress scores.

Sleep quality improved significantly in the experimental group after the 6-week program.

Control group scores did not show significant changes compared to baseline.

Abstract

The aim of our study was to evaluate the effect of the 4‐7‐8 breathing exercise on tinnitus handicap, psychological factors, and sleep quality.

The present study employed a parallel‐group randomized controlled trial design. A total of 23 patients with subjective tinnitus in the experimental group and 25 patients with subjective tinnitus in the control group took part in the study. Both groups received 1 hour of informative session on tinnitus, and the experimental group also performed 4‐7‐8 breathing exercises for 6 weeks. Visual analog scale (VAS), tinnitus handicap inventory (THI), insomnia severity index (ISI), trait anxiety inventory (TAI), and perceived stress scale‐10 (PSS‐10) were applied before and on the day the 6‐week program is done or 6 weeks after the informative session is completed.

When the experimental group and the control group were compared after the intervention, a significant decrease was found in all questionnaire and VAS scores of the experimental group. While the questionnaire and VAS scores of the control group after the session did not differ significantly from the baseline scores, all questionnaire scores of the experimental group after the 6‐week program showed a significant decrease compared to the pre‐application scores.

This exercise technique can be used as a simple, effective, and supportive therapy method in the clinical management of tinnitus patients.

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT06360731

The 4‐7‐8 breathing exercise significantly reduced tinnitus handicap and psychological stress, and improved sleep quality in tinnitus patients. This study highlights the potential of this simple breathing technique as an effective supportive therapy in the clinical management of tinnitus.

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