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Flowpresso and First Responders: Research Shows Improvements in Sleep and Anxiety

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Flowpresso and First Responders: Research Shows Improvements in Sleep and Anxiety

Category: Research & Results
Topic: First Responders / Sleep / Anxiety / Stress

Research Source: The effects of Cyclical Deep Pressure Applied by the Flowpresso on Sleep and Anxiety. 

Ally Parkes, Desiree De Spong, Martyn Beavan
Te Huataki Waiora School of Health, The University of Waikato; Medella Health Ltd, New Zealand

Quick Summary

A study involving 173 first responders across two independent studies investigated the effects of three weekly 40-minute Flowpresso sessions on sleep quality and anxiety. Researchers reported a 25% improvement in subjective sleep quality and a 32% reduction in anxiety, with statistically significant results for both measures.

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Under-slept and over-anxious: exploring recovery for first responders

First responders operate in high-pressure environments where stress, disrupted schedules and insufficient sleep can become part of the job.

The “Under-Slept and Over-Anxious” research examined whether Flowpresso could contribute to improvements in subjective sleep quality and anxiety symptoms in a large cohort of New Zealand-based first responders

The Research

The research consisted of two independent studies:
Study A n = 87
Study B n = 86

Data was collected before the first Flowpresso session and one week after the third session. Across both studies, first responders received:

  • One 40-minute Flowpresso session per week
  • For three weeks
  • Sleep and anxiety were assessed using:
    • PROMIS Sleep Disturbance questionnaire
    • Stress-mood questionnaire

The Results

92% Reported improvement in sleep in Study A

In Study A, up to 92% of first responders experienced a positive outcome in subjective sleep quality.

Study B reported a 77% positive outcome. Research Documents

Across both studies:

25% Improvement in sleep

The reported improvement was statistically significant:

p < 0.001

The paper reports large effect sizes for both studies:

d > 1.05 Research Documents

Anxiety Results

The research also investigated subjective anxiety symptomology.

53% – of first responders improved in Study A

55% – improved in Study B

Across both studies:

32% reduction in anxiety

The paper reports this change as statistically significant:

p < 0.0001

with small-to-moderate effect sizes reported between 0.49 and 0.57.

What did the researchers conclude?

The researchers concluded that the results from the two independent studies support a beneficial contribution of cyclical deep pressure therapy and heat applied by Flowpresso to improving anxiety symptomology and sleep quality in a cohort of first responders. Research Documents

Why this matters
Sleep is an important part of recovery and wellbeing, particularly for people working in demanding environments.
For first responders, the ability to support relaxation, sleep and recovery may be especially relevant given the occupational demands associated with their work.

The Key Takeaway

Across two independent studies involving 173 New Zealand-based first responders, three weekly 40-minute Flowpresso sessions were associated with improvements in subjective sleep and anxiety measures.


The research reported:
25% improvement in sleep and a 32% reduction in anxiety with statistically significant results reported for both measures.

Research Documents
The study investigated subjective sleep and anxiety measures. These findings should not be interpreted as evidence that Flowpresso treats anxiety disorders or sleep disorders.

Research Reference

“Under-Slept and Over-Anxious: The effects of Cyclical Deep Pressure Applied by the Flowpresso on Sleep and Anxiety”
Ally Parkes, Desiree De Spong, Martyn Beavan
Te Huataki Waiora School of Health, The University of Waikato; Medella Health Ltd, New Zealand.

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