Effect of 4-Week Heartfulness Meditation on Stress Scores, Sleep Quality, and Oxidative and Inflammatory Biochemical Parameters in COVID-19 Patients after Completion of Standard Treatment – A Randomized Controlled Trial
International Journal of Yoga September 1, 2022 Senthil Subramanian, V. Sripad, Amudharaj Dharmalingam et al.
A randomized controlled trial compared four weeks of app-based heartfulness meditation with app-based relaxation in 50 patients who had completed COVID-19 treatment. Both groups showed significant decreases in stress, circulating cortisol, inflammatory markers, and oxidative stress biomarkers, along with improved sleep quality and antioxidant biomarkers. The beneficial changes were greater in the heartfulness meditation group than in the relaxation group. The authors suggest that app-based heartfulness meditation or relaxation can serve as a nonpharmacological adjuvant to hasten recovery after COVID-19 treatment.