The Effect of Massage Therapy to Control Night Shift Related Stress
Condition: Stress
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Background:

      The sympathetic and parasympathetic branches (SNS and PNS) of the autonomic nervous system
      (ANS), keep our body in a state of balance, which can be disturbed in situations of
      uncontrolled stress. Sleep deprivation and specifically night shift is a source of stress
      with adverse consequences on sleep, wakefulness, eating patterns and cardio-vascular
      function. Furthermore, imbalanced autonomic profile is also associated with increased
      inflammation, a known risk factor for cardiac problems, diabetes, and cancer.

      Parasympathetic stimulation can control the inflammatory reaction, leading research toward
      interventions which can stimulate the cholinergic pathway. Among these interventions, massage
      therapy has shown to stimulate the PNS and bring back the balance within the body's organs.

      Objectives:

        1. To assess the physiological effects of night shifts on the ANS profile and bio-markers
           of inflammation and stress in blood

        2. To assess whether one session of massage therapy can revert the adverse effects of night
           shift via re-balancing these components.

      Methods:

      A pilot prospective randomized crossover trial with 10 healthy hospital staff is in progress:

      Each participants will be their own control. All participants will be measured for their
      baseline characteristics and outcomes of interest on a regular working day as well as at the
      end of 2 nights of shift work. At the end of one shift they will be randomly assigned to
      receive a 30-minute-long "upper body massage", while at the end of the other shift they will
      receive a "reading intervention" which would serve as a control intervention. Randomization
      is done using a computer system that also verifies inclusion-exclusion criteria before
      allocating the intervention.

      The autonomic profile is measured by spectral analysis of Heart Rate Variability (HRV)
      captured by a state-of-the-art machine which non-invasively records electrical signals from
      the body. The inflammatory markers in the blood are also measured using top-notch laboratory
      technology.

      The results of the study will be reported by comparing the outcomes of each subject with
      their own baseline as well as comparing the two interventions for the effect of massage. Data
      will be pooled for all subjects in order to show the overall effect.

      The final results of this study will be used to plan stress management intervention trials.
    


Intervention name(s): Massage Therapy; Journal reading (No massage therapy)
Intervention type(s): Other; Other
Intervention description(s): Intervention consists of administering a 30-minute-long upper body massage by a registered massage therapist following a massage protocol developed by Vancouver College of Massage Therapy (VCMT).; Intervention consists of journal reading in the same sitting position as the massage therapy session for approximately 30 minutes.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Crossover Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Supportive Care
Keywords: Night Shift work; Stress; Autonomic nervous system (ANS); Heart rate variability (HRV); Pre-ejection period (PEP); Inflammation; Pro-inflammatory cytokines; Massage Therapy