Decreasing Stress Via Virtual Reality and Binaural Beats in Non-Clinical Adults

This study is a non-clinical substudy conducted within the DESTRESS research program (NCT05036538), which investigates the effects of relaxation interventions on physiological and psychological parameters. While the main DESTRESS trial focuses on cardiac surgical patients, this additional study arm examines the same interventions in a non-clinical adult population under controlled conditions, independent of disease-, surgery-, or medication-related influences. Participants are randomly assigned to one of several experimental conditions and take part in a single approximately 30-minute session. Depending on group allocation, the session may include exposure to natural soundscapes, natural soundscapes combined with binaural beats, virtual reality-based natural environments, virtual reality combined with binaural beats, or a control condition without a relaxation intervention. The primary aim of the DESTUD-Study is to assess the feasibility and potential stress-reducing effects of these non-pharmacological relaxation approaches in a non-clinical setting and to support the interpretation of findings from the clinical DESTRESS trial. Physiological responses, including heart rate variability and electrodermal activity, as well as self-reported stress measures, are collected before, during and after the conditions.

NCT Number	NCT07387107
Lead Sponsor	Heart and Brain Research Group, Germany
Conditions	Stress, Relaxation, Virtual Reality, Binaural Beats
Enrollment	52 participants
Start Date	2026-03-05
Primary Completion	2026-07-15 (estimated)
Study Completion	2026-07-15 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-03-13