Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Benefits Psychological Well-Being, Sleep Quality, and Athletic Performance in Female Collegiate Rowers
Frontiers in Psychology September 1, 2020 Bethany J. Jones, Sukhmanjit Kaur, Michele Miller et al.
An 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) course improved psychological well-being, sleep quality, athletic coping skills, and rowing performance in collegiate women rowers. The intervention group, which added MBSR to regular training, showed better results on a 6,000-meter ergometer test compared to a control group that only did athletic training. Improvements in coping skills, well-being, and sleep were linked to increased mindfulness. The findings suggest mindfulness training may enhance non-precision aspects of athletic performance and could benefit student athletes' quality of life and performance.