Arena Program and Somia Bloom: research into sports recovery

Arena Program is opening an applied research project on Somia Bloom in sports recovery. The proposal combines spatial sound, music and Somia’s conversational layer to support the transition from high-intensity exertion to recovery.

yeshcube is looking for research groups, clubs, federations and professionals interested in completing the protocol and jointly validating it with high-performance athletes.

In brief

• Objective: study emotional decompression and acute recovery after exertion.
• Experience: 15 minutes of sound, music and guided conversation with Somia Bloom.
• Proposed design: randomized crossover pilot with three conditions.
• Initial sample: 48 adult athletes, with at least 40 complete protocols.
• Measurement: emotional balance, perceived recovery, HRV, heart rate and attention.

Recovery as part of performance

After exertion, the body needs to regain physical, autonomic, cognitive and emotional stability. This process is influenced by accumulated load, sleep, competition schedules, competitive pressure, media exposure, travel and the athlete’s personal environment.

The International Olympic Committee consensus on mental health in elite sport proposes integrating physical health, mental wellbeing and sporting context. Arena Program translates this perspective into one practical question:

What can a sound, music and conversation experience add to immediate recovery after exertion?

A sound and conversational experience

Somia Bloom turns an acoustic booth into a controlled spatial-sound environment. The proposed 15-minute experience has three stages:

1. A gradual reduction in activation through breathing, rhythm and soundscape.
2. Brief exploration of the athlete’s perceived state after exertion.
3. A closing summary and clear transition to the next activity.

Music can alter subjective experience and some physiological responses during recovery. A randomized trial following intense exercise observed differences in heart-rate recovery and variability between musical conditions.

Somia adds a brief, non-clinical wellbeing conversation. Athletes describe how they arrive, identify the focus of the session and receive a clear summary. Their own account is the primary source for understanding their state and keeping control of the interaction.

Collaboration with music-therapy professionals will make it possible to develop a formal line with objectives, techniques and responsibilities specific to that discipline.

Previous evidence from Somia

The sports project builds on two earlier experiences that provide knowledge about operation, acceptance and measurement.

Blind Echo Experience brought together 89 participants and 119 sessions with Somia and VVAVVE. 83.1% reported an immediate reduction in perceived stress and 97.8% rated the experience positively. Results and methodology are published in the conversational-systems validation report.

Ika, the Somia Within integration in BeHealthy Calvià, was used during a six-month program for 150 women over 35. The conversational layer achieved a 92.8% overall rating among valid responses. The full case is available in the article about Ika.

These precedents provide an operational foundation: brief sessions, structured interaction, positive reception and measurement in real use. Arena Program now adds an athlete population, comparison conditions and recovery-specific metrics.

Proposed pilot-study design

Each participant will complete three sessions in random order:

1. Full Somia Bloom: sound and music experience plus a Somia conversation.
2. Structured audio: the same duration and sound environment without the conversational agent.
3. Silent recovery: the same time in the booth without guided audio or conversation.

Sessions will follow comparable exertion and take place at equivalent points in training. By trying all three conditions, each athlete acts as their own control.

The first cohort will target athletes aged 18 to 40 across endurance, intermittent or team sports, and strength, power or precision disciplines. The initial objective is to enroll 48 participants and complete at least 40 three-session pathways.

What will be measured

The proposed primary outcome is the change in emotional balance on the Short Recovery and Stress Scale (SRSS), a tool evaluated specifically in athlete populations. Its psychometric development is described in this publication on the ARSS and SRSS.

The protocol will combine this measure with:

• Perceived recovery, stress and session exertion.
• Heart-rate recovery and variability.
• Mental fatigue, calm and sustained attention.
• Acceptance, usefulness, willingness to repeat and safety.

Interpretation will also include sleep, previous load, travel, proximity to competition, media pressure and environmental conditions. This will place each response within the athlete’s real context.

Collaborative science

yeshcube is contributing the hypothesis, technology and initial structure. The collaborating research group will participate in sample calculation, the exertion procedure, statistical analysis and preregistration.

The protocol will undergo independent ethics review and include informed consent and sports supervision. Data will be pseudonymised, stored on European Union servers and used only for the consented objectives of the study.

The sports application of Somia Bloom is at ERL-0, initial hypothesis. Somia Bloom has reached ERL-3 as a commercially transferred and integrated product; Arena Program is opening a sport-specific evidence pathway.

The project is looking for collaboration with groups in sports science, sports psychology, physiology, cognition, sound and music therapy, as well as clubs, federations, high-performance centers and adult athletes.

Would you like to contribute to the design or help develop the study?

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