Can a breathing app help tame opioid cravings?

NCT ID NCT07361731

Symptom relief Sponsor: Arizona State University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 2 times

Summary

This study tested whether a heart rate variability biofeedback program—using a sensor and smartphone app to guide slow breathing—is practical and helpful for adults in residential treatment for opioid use disorder. Thirty-two participants practiced daily for three weeks. Researchers measured how many people joined, stuck with it, and reported less stress or craving. The goal was to see if this low-cost technique could support recovery.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: heart rate variability biofeedback (a breathing technique using a sensor and smartphone app)
What this could lead to: If it works, this could offer a simple, drug-free tool to help people in recovery manage stress, emotions, and cravings.
What could go wrong: This is a very small, early pilot study with only 32 participants and no comparison group. Results may not apply to other settings or people.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

32 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Dec 2025

Finished

Feb 2026

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 65 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Eligible participants are 1. adults aged 18 to 65, 2. currently admitted to a transitional living program for opioid use and within the first 30 days of admission 3. voluntarily agree to participate and demonstrate adequate decision-making capacity as determined by the study team during informed consent 4. able to read and speak English, 5. have a clinical diagnosis of OUD at any severity level, whether mild, moderate, or severe, 6. identify opioids as their primary drug of choice 7. should have access to smartphones for daily individual practice of the intervention. 8. must reside at the treatment program for the duration of the study Exclusion Criteria: 1. inability to provide informed consent, 2. inability to demonstrate adequate decision-making capacity 3. currently having suicidal thoughts or psychotic symptoms 4. history of receiving previous HRVB training, 5. have a serious cardiac condition such as having pacemaker, heart failure or cardiac arrhythmia), 6. a known self-reported diagnosis of dementia, a severe brain injury, or a serious neurological condition(e.g., Parkinson's disease) 7. currently enrolled in any other biofeedback program simultaneously 8. currently taking medications such as MAOIs and alpha/beta blockers or benzodiazepines. Participant recruitment will be conducted at the recruitment site. Individuals younger than 18 or older than 65 years are excluded from participation primarily due to age-related differences in autonomic function and heart rate variability (HRV) regulation. Restricting the sample to adults aged 18-65 allows for more accurate measurement and interpretation of HRV data, thereby reducing potential confounding effects related to age-related physiological differences.

Get updates

Get notified about this study

Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Autonomic nervous system imbalance are added.

Vår säkerhetsrekommendation!

Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Emotional Regulation opiate dependence

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Autonomic nervous system imbalance Biofeedback Breathing techniques Emotional regulation Heart rate variability (HRV) Opioid craving Opioid-use disorder Positive and negative affect Recovery Stress

Can a breathing app help tame opioid cravings?

What the study statuses mean