Key result
Wind instrument training improves anxiety, HRV, and sleep measures in small preliminary studies.
Why the study?
Anxiety and sleep disturbances frequently coexist due to common autonomic dysregulation, prompting review of wind-instrument training as an intervention integrating intentional breath regulation with self-produced auditory feedback.
Does wind instrument training improve sleep, anxiety, and autonomic regulation in healthy individuals or those with anxiety/sleep disturbances?
Systematic Review
Does wind instrument training improve sleep, anxiety, and autonomic regulation in healthy individuals or those with anxiety/sleep disturbances?
Wind instrument training provides a potential non-pharmacological therapy combining intentional breath regulation and auditory feedback to improve vagal tone, anxiety, and sleep, though large-scale multi-center trials are still needed.
May offer non-pharmacological adjunct for anxiety and sleep; leaves open efficacy pending larger multicenter trials.
Anxiety and sleep disturbances frequently coexist due to common autonomic dysregulation. This review emphasises wind-instrument training as an intervention that integrates intentional breath regulation with self-produced auditory feedback to influence vagal tone and maintain arousal stability. We performed a systematic review and mechanistic analysis, querying PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO and the Cochrane Library (2000-2024) for clinical and experimental studies on wind-instrument training, and synthesised pathways connecting respiration, auditory processing and autonomic regulation. Initial evidence indicates a decrease in anxiety symptoms, enhancements in heart-rate variability and a reduction in nocturnal awakenings; nevertheless, the majority of studies are limited in size and duration, necessitating larger multi-centre trials. Incorporating wind-instrument practice into therapeutic frameworks may enhance existing non-pharmacological strategies by aligning respiratory pacing with consistent and self-produced sound, providing a physiological mechanism for improved emotional regulation and sleep.
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Ding et al. (2025) conducted a systematic review in Anxiety, sleep disturbances, and mild obstructive sleep apnea. Wind instrument training vs. Inactive/usual care, mindful breathing, passive listening/white noise, or within-subject baseline was evaluated on Anxiety scales, sleep measures, and autonomic indices (e.g., HRV). Wind instrument training demonstrates potential to decrease anxiety symptoms, enhance heart-rate variability, and reduce nocturnal awakenings, though current evidence relies predominantly on small, short-term studies.
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