The Results of “A Series of Studies on Chongqing Hot Springs Wellness” Are Released Formally

At the "3rd International Symposium on Hydrotherapy and Climatotherapy Tourism of China" held on November 26, the results of "A Series of Studies on Chongqing Hot Springs Wellness" were released by two research leaders: Pro. Lei Xu and Pro.Chen Yu.

1. The Results of the Intervention Study of Hot Springs on Sleep Disorders 

Lei Xu, Deputy Director of the Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, and the project leader of the research, introduced the background and the process of "the Intervention Study of Hot Springs on Sleep Disorders" and released the research results.

Professor Lei Xu 

(1) The Procedure of the Research

① Recruitment of volunteers. 80 persons with sleep disorders such as difficulty in falling asleep, lack of sleep, sleep anxiety, etc.

② Qualification screening. Volunteers who meet the requirements are randomly divided into two groups: intervention group and control group (no intervention).

③ Physical examination. Making sure that all volunteers have normal heart rate and blood pressure, and are qualified for taking a bath in hot springs physically; no neurological diseases; no head trauma; no dermatosis; no history of mental illness and psychosis; no medications (including anti-hypertensive drugs, hypoglycemic drugs, and hormone drugs as melatonin,etc.).

④ Day 1, the adaptation period. Before the intervention, all volunteers must complete a series of questionnaires, including Health Status Questionnaire, Nottingham Health Profile, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, and Anxiety Self-Rating Scale, etc. Each volunteer wears an actigraph band to record sleep time, daylight hours, walking steps, and other data of physical activities.

⑤ Day 2, the baseline period. The research team records the sleep quality and other information before hot spring intervention for comparative data analysis at the end of the research.

⑥ Day 3-Day 10, the intervention period. Volunteers can move freely at the daytime. At 20:00 pm, they all receive a 10-minute button response test which mainly examines the psychomotor alertness. Then, volunteers take a bath in hot springs as required and rest for 3 minutes for every 10 minutes. After 3 rounds, they receive the second button response test and complete the Positive and Negative Emotion Scale and the Sleepiness Level Scale. Before going to bed, a Computer PVT Response Test must be completed.

⑦ Data Collation and Analysis. After the intervention, collating the data for analysis and completing the research report.

Note: The research is conducted in Sheenjoy Hot Spring, Chongqing.

Website: http://xj.sheenjoy.cn/zh/jidi.html 

(2) The Results of the Research

This research has confirmed that taking a bath in hot springs can significantly improve the quality of sleep:

① Taking a bath in hot springs is very effective in promoting sleep. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) of the volunteers dropped from 11 at the baseline to 7 after the intervention.

② Taking a bath in hot springs can make you sleep longer. During the study, the volunteers’ sleep duration increased by an average of more than 1 hour.

③ The sleep-promoting effect of hot spring baths in the evening is better than that in the afternoon. According to multiple comparisons of different indexes, taking a bath in hot springs in the evening has better sleep parameters, for example, volunteers can sleep longer and easier, etc.

The changes of each sub-index of PSQI.

 

2. The Results of the Intervention Study of Hot Springs on Groups with Arthritis or Chronic Diseases

Chen Yu, Professor of Chongqing Medical University and the project leader of the research, introduced the background and the process of "the Intervention Study of Hot Springs on Groups with Arthritis or Chronic Diseases" and released the research results.

(1)The Procedure of the Research

① Recruitment of volunteers. 120 persons with arthritis or chronic  diseases.

② Qualification screening. Volunteers who meet the requirements are randomly divided into two groups: intervention group and control group (no intervention).

Excluding the following groups:

Ø Patients with hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, and cancer, etc.;

Ø Patients with acute diseases or fever;

Ø Patients with infectious diseases;

Ø Patients with mental diseases;

Ø People with severe heart, liver, spleen, lung, and kidney diseases;

Ø Pregnant women and others who are not suitable for hot springs.

③Questionnaire and Physical examination.

Ø The first questionnaire survey and the first physical examination before the intervention. 

Ø One questionnaire and one physical examination will be performed after completing every 1-week intervention, and four weeks in total.

Ø The intervention group will continue to complete the questionnaire survey and physical examination after receiving intervention for two more months.

Ø Follow-up, questionnaire and physical examination will be implemented at three time nodes: the third month, the sixth month, and the twelfth month after the end of the intervention.

④ The intervention of taking a bath in hot springs. 

Time	Activities
07:00-07:30	morning exercise: Baduanjin, a kind of Chinese traditional fitness method
09:30-10:30	hot spring bath, an important part of the research
15:00-16:00	a series of targeted health education lectures, such as health management, mental health, sleep health, exercise skills, and etc.
16:00-17:00	various suitable sports, such as square dance, badminton, rope-skipping, and etc.
20:00-21:00	hot spring bath again

⑤ Data Collation and Analysis. Finally, collating the data for analysis and completing the research report.

Note: The research is conducted in Tongjing Hot Spring, Chongqing.

Website: www.cqtjwq.com/ 

(2) The Results of the Research

The results of the first phase of the study show that: "hot spring and  health management" are very effective for the prevention and control of chronic diseases and arthritis.

① "Hot spring and health management" can significantly improve the quality of life for high-risk groups with chronic diseases, especially for the people from 55 to 64.

② "Hot spring and health management" can significantly improve the sub-health status of high-risk groups with chronic diseases. The body weight, body mass index, and waistline of the high-risk group with chronic diseases have a significant reduction effect (P <0.05); indexes of total cholesterol and triglycerides decreased significantly after two weeks in the intervention group (P <0.05), while the control group did not change significantly.

③ "Hot spring and health management" can significantly improve the sleep quality of the high-risk group with chronic diseases, especially for those over 55 years old.

④ "Hot spring and health management" can significantly reduce knee joint pain and stiffness, and improve the joint functions.

3. Summary

The series of research is greatly supported by Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development, and World Federation of Hydrotherapy and Climatotherapy (FEMTEC). Asia-Pacific Institute for Hydrotherapy and Climatotherapy Tourism (APIHC) has coordinated with Chongqing Medical University, Southwest University, Tongjing Spring, etc through the whole process. It is the first research of its kind in the Chinese hot spring industry and an important move for integrating industry, academics and research of the hot spring industry in Chongqing. As a follow-up, APIHC will develop hot spring wellness products/programs based on the research results and also the wellness effects of the hot spring water. Meanwhile, APIHC will also work with Chongqing University to conduct research about effects of hot springs on some skin problems.

Reference: The Pittsburgh sleep quality index: A new instrument for psychiatric practice and research,Psychiatry Res 1989;28:193-213.Buysse, D.J., Reynolds, C.F.