SynthesisApplied psychophysiology and biofeedback2023
Methods for Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback (HRVB): A Systematic Review and Guidelines.
Synthesis in Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 50 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
50 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Feasibility and Effectiveness of Portable/Remote Heart Rate Variability (HRV) Biofeedback Training in Treating Stress and Mental Health Difficulties: A Systematic Review.Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback · 2026Pooled it
- Efficacy and Methodology of Remote Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback Interventions for Mental Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback · 2026Pooled it
- The Effectiveness of Brief Meditation Assisted with Cardiac Biofeedback on Interoceptive Accuracy, Sensibility and Awareness: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback · 2026Trial
- Resonance frequency versus fixed 0.1 Hz breathing in HRV biofeedback: a four-week randomized comparison.Scientific reports · 2026Trial
- Multimodal Personalized Mobile Health Just-in-Time Adaptive Intervention for Occupational Stress Management: Pilot Study.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2026Trial
- Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback Training Can Improve Menopausal Symptoms and Psychological Well-Being in Women with a Diagnosis of Primary Breast Cancer: A Longitudinal Randomized Controlled Trial.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2025Trial
- Can HRV Biofeedback Training Improve the Mental Resilience of Icelandic Police Officers?Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback · 2025Trial
- Effects of Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback Training on Anxiety Reduction and Brain Activity: a Randomized Active-Controlled Study Using EEG.Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback · 2024Trial
- Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback Training Reduces Early Maternal Stress, Anxiety, and Depression in Women Undergoing Cesarean Delivery: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback · 2024Trial
- Neurofeedback, Biofeedback, and Basic Learning Theory: Revisiting the 2011 Conceptual Framework.Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback · 2026Review
- A Randomized Sham-Controlled Study of Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback in an Older Adult Sample.Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback · 2026Article
- Experience-dependent development of vagal circuitry in rodents and humans.Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews · 2026Review
- Autonomic Non-Responsiveness in HRV Biofeedback: A Narrative Conceptual Review and Future Directions for AI-Guided Closed-Loop Adaptive Systems.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Review
- Physiological adaptation during heart rate variability biofeedback in young adults: A survival analysis in high-stress academic environments.Physiological reports · 2026Article
- Healthcare providers' experience of delivering a heart rate variability feedback intervention to individuals living with spinal cord injury to inform implementation into usual care.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- A Randomized Controlled Trial of Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback Explores Cardiac Autonomic Control as a Psychophysiological Mechanism Supporting Social Cognition.Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback · 2026Article
- Exploring heart rate variability as a biomarker for frailty: A narrative review.European journal of clinical investigation · 2026Review
- Anxiety Before and During Music Stage Performance: Monitoring and Coping Strategies with Innovative Biofeedback Techniques.Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback · 2026Article
- Effects of Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback on Cardiac Autonomic Function in Patients with Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback · 2026Review
- Neural Regulation of Cardiac Arrhythmias: From the Brain-Heart Axis to Emerging Precision Therapies.Research (Washington, D.C.) · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback (HRVB) has been widely used to improve cardiovascular health and well-being. HRVB is based on breathing at an individual's resonance frequency, which stimulates respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and the baroreflex. There is, however, no methodological consensus on how to apply HRVB, while details about the protocol used are often not well reported. Thus, the objectives of this systematic review are to describe the different HRVB protocols and detect methodological concerns. PsycINFO, CINALH, Medline and Web of Science were searched between 2000 and April 2021. Data extraction and quality assessment were based on PRISMA guidelines. A total of 143 studies were finally included from any scientific field and any type of sample. Three protocols for HRVB were found: (i) "Optimal RF" (n = 37), each participant breathes at their previously detected RF; (ii) "Individual RF" (n = 48), each participant follows a biofeedback device that shows the optimal breathing rate based on cardiovascular data in real time, and (iii) "Preset-pace RF" (n = 51), all participants breathe at the same rate rate, usually 6 breaths/minute. In addition, we found several methodological differences for applying HRVB in terms of number of weeks, duration of breathing or combination of laboratory and home sessions. Remarkably, almost 2/3 of the studies did not report enough information to replicate the HRVB protocol in terms of breathing duration, inhalation/exhalation ratio, breathing control or body position. Methodological guidelines and a checklist are proposed to enhance the methodological quality of future HRVB studies and increase the information reported.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.