SLEEPJ
May 8, 2026
Yan Ma, Peter Wayne, Janet Mullington et al.
Abstract Introduction Mindfulness meditation (MM) apps have gained popularity as a tool for promoting sleep. However, little is known, about the use of MM apps specifically at bedtime, or the efficacy and mechanisms of such practice on insomnia symptom severity and pre-sleep arousal. Methods In Phase 1, we conducted a mixed-methods single-arm pilot study to explore the feasibility of 4 weeks of...
Global advances in integrative medicine and health
2026
Yan Ma, Wilfred Wing Fung Sin, Kristen M Kraemer et al.
Despite the dramatic growth in the number of clinical trials of meditation and/or mindfulness-based interventions (MMBIs), most trials focus on self-reported or psychological outcomes, less is known about the potential neuroplastic effects of MMBI practice and benefits for brain health. In this review, we aimed to map the extent and nature of existing research on this topic, identify...
JMIR Formative Research
September 30, 2025
Yan Ma, Peter M. Wayne, Janet M Mullington et al.
While mindfulness meditation (MM) apps have gained popularity as a tool for promoting sleep, research focusing on bedtime mindfulness practice and app usage is limited. As the first step toward understanding the efficacy and mechanisms of such bedtime practice and to inform future investigations, the goal of this pilot study was to explore the feasibility of app-guided bedtime MM practice with...
Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience
May 28, 2020
Anna Xu, Chloe S. Zimmerman, Sara W. Lazar et al.
Objective: Tai chi (TC), a contemplative practice combining slow movements and deep breathing, has been shown to be clinically effective in alleviating depressive symptoms. Feelings of fatigue or low vitality often accompany major depressive disorder (MDD) though they are commonly overlooked and not well understood neurologically. By using resting state functional connectivity (rs-FC) using the...