Transcendental meditation and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis functioning: a pilot, randomized controlled trial with young adults.
Stress January 1, 2020 Bonnie Klimes-Dougan, Li Shen Chong, Ali Samikoglu et al.
Transcendental meditation training over 8 weeks lowered awakening salivary cortisol levels and produced a greater drop in cortisol awakening response from baseline to week 4 compared to a wait-list control group in young adults. No significant differences were observed in HPA axis functioning during a social stress test at week 8. The pilot randomized controlled trial included 27 completers (41% male). The authors note the small sample and wait-list control as limitations, concluding that TM may influence biological stress system functioning and warrants further study.