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NCT Number: NCT07267520

The Effects of Quartz Crystal Singing Bowl Music and Guided Relaxation on Mood and Sleep in Rangatahi (Young Adults)

The number of people reporting poor mental wellbeing is increasing, with rates exceeding 25% of the population. Rates of psychological distress in young people (aged 15-24 years) are rapidly increasing but many cannot access professional help. Self-help options such as meditation and mindfulness are effective in decreasing stress and enhancing mood, but time, practice, self-motivation and patience are required to fully realise the benefits. Thus, there is a need to explore alternate treatment options.

This study seeks to determine if the effects of listening to quartz crystal singing bowl music (CSBs) are equivalent to that of progressive guided muscle relaxation on self-report measures of mood, stress and sleep in young adults at 4- and 8- weeks post intervention. The intervention will be delivered online.

The main question it aims to answer is:

Are the effects of listening to singing bowl music equivalent to that of progressive guided muscle relaxation (PMR) on self-report measures of mood in young adults (Total Mood Disturbance of the POMS) at 4- and 8- weeks post intervention.

Does listening to singing bowls result in improved sleep and stress, similar to the effects of PMR.

Participants will be allocated to either the singing bowls or progressive muscle relaxation group. They will be sent a link to listen to the intervention 3 times a week for the first 4 weeks, and then weekly for the next 4 weeks. They will be asked to compete an online questionnaire at baseline, 4 weeks and 8 weeks.

At the end of the trial (8 weeks), participants will be given access to both singing bowls and progressive muscle relaxation interventions to use as often as they like.

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Key information

Conditions

Healthy Young Adults

Age range

16 year–25 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

School of Psychological and Social Sciences

Hamilton, Waikato Region, 3204, New Zealand

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • age 16-25 years

Exclusion criteria

  • undergoing psychiatric/psychological treatment
  • participation in guided relaxation more than once a month
  • listened to singing bowls more than once a month

Treatment and study plan

Quartz Crystal Singing Bowl music

Behavioral

The quartz crystal singing bowls audio track used in the current study was "Tranquility" by Annie Jameson. The audio track was 570 seconds (9.5 minutes) for all sessions. Annie Jameson composed the track herself and gave permission for its use. The full Tranquility track can be found on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mX3Vqvo5k4) or Spotify. The audio was accessed online via the Qualtrics platform

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Behavioral

A guided progressive muscle relaxation audio (recorded by the NZ Cancer Society https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zydrp3rfJdY) and similar to the PMR script from the Anxiety and Phobia Workbook by Edmund Bourne was used. The session took approximately 12 minutes. Participants were instructed to start by sitting or lying comfortably, taking some deep breaths and then tense and relax muscles in a sequential manner from the head to the feet. The audio was presented online via Qualtrics software

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in total mood disturbance (TMD) score between baseline, 4 weeks and 8 weeks

    Time frame: Baseline, 4 weeks and 8 weeks

    The TMD is derived from the profile of mood states questionnaire (abbreviated version). Participants are presented with a list of 40 words that describe feelings people have. They are asked to circle the number that best describes how they feel right now from 0 (not at all), 1 (a little), 2 (moderately), 3 (quite a lot) to 4 (extremely). Seven subscales are calculated by summing the relevant items (Tension, Anger, ERA-score range 0-24; Fatigue, Vigour, Confusion- score range 0-20; Depression - score range 0-28 ). A Total Mood Disturbance score (TMD) is also calculated by summing the totals for the negative subscales (Tension, Depression, Anger, Fatigue, Confusion), and subtracting the totals for the positive scales (Vigour, Esteem-related Affect). A constant (100) can be added to eliminate negative values. Scores (including the constant) range from 52-216. A higher score reflects a more negative mood state

  2. Change in total mood disturbance (TMD) score between baseline, 4 weeks and 8 weeks

    Time frame: Baseline, 4 weeks and 8 weeks

    The TMD is derived from the profile of mood states questionnaire (abbreviated version). Participants are presented with a list of 40 words that describe feelings people have. They are asked to circle the number that best describes how they feel right now from 0 (not at all), 1 (a little), 2 (moderately), 3 (quite a lot) to 4 (extremely). Seven subscales are calculated by summing the relevant items (Tension, Anger, Fatigue, Depression, Esteem related affect, Vigour and Confusion). A Total Mood Disturbance score (TMD) is also calculated by summing the totals for the negative subscales (Tension, Depression, Anger, Fatigue, Confusion), and subtracting the totals for the positive scales (Vigour, Esteem-related Affect [Note that 2 items are reverse scored for the ERA subscale]. A higher score reflects a more negative mood state

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in POMS subscale scores at 4 and 8 weeks

    Time frame: Baseline, 4 weeks and 8 weeks

    The POMS has seven subscales: Tension, Anger, Fatigue, Depression, Esteem related affect, Vigour and Confusion. For the negative subscales (Tension, fatigue, confusion, depression and anger), a higher score indicates poorer mood. For the positive subscales (vigour and esteem related affect), a high score indicates a more positive mood.

  2. Overall sleep quality

    Time frame: Baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks

    Rating of overall sleep quality from the Auckland Sleep questionnaire. Higher ratings (on a 1-4 scale) indicate poorer sleep quality

  3. Visual analogues scales - immediately before and after a session

    Time frame: Once a week for 8 weeks

    To assess the acute effects of the intervention, participants will be asked to complete ratings of overall mood, relaxation, and stress before and after one session one session each week. Participants are asked to rate how they are feeling right now using a visual analogue scale (VAS) from 0 (worst I've ever felt not relaxed, not stressed,) to 100 (very stressed, very relaxed, best I've ever felt)

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

The University of Waikato

Other

Collaborators

  • University of Auckland, New Zealand

Registry information

Official study title

The Effects of Quartz Crystal Singing Bowl Music and Guided Relaxation on Mood and Sleep in Young Adults

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2024
Study completion
2024
First posted
Dec 5, 2025
Registry last updated
Dec 15, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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