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EEG Brain Rhythms During Resting-State Wakefulness and Sleep in Elderly Expert Meditators.

Pierre Champetier, Anaïs Hamel, Claire André, Valentin Ourry, Tristan Lacroix, Stéphane Rehel, Léa Chauveau, Sacha Haudry, Françoise Bertran, Vincent de la Sayette, Denis Vivien, Gaël Chételat, Antoine Lutz, Géraldine Rauchs

Journal of Sleep Research July 29, 2025 DOI: 10.1111/jsr.70161 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Observational cohort Peer reviewed
Sample size 135
Population Elderly expert meditators and meditation-naive controls
Topics Meditation
Keywords EEG Rem sleep Ageing Wakefulness
Registration NCT02977819
Key findings Expert meditators showed more preserved brain activity at rest and sleep architecture, with EEG features suggesting higher cognitive states during NREM sleep.

Abstract

Meditation practice has been shown to impact resting-state EEG activity in expert meditators, but its benefits on sleep, which is particularly affected with age, are poorly understood. Our aim was to better understand the effects of long-term meditation practice on resting-state EEG and sleep in older adults. Twenty-seven elderly expert meditators (mean age ± SD: 70.7 ± 5.0 years) were compared to meditation-naive controls (69.3 ± 3.8 years) for sleep questionnaires (n = 135), polysomnography (n = 47) and resting-state EEG (n = 73). Sleep microstructure (slow waves and spindles) and EEG features (power, Kolmogorov complexity and permutation entropy (PE)) during resting-state, NREM, and REM sleep were compared between groups. Correlations were tested between the metrics that differed between the two groups and the level of meditation expertise within the meditator group. At rest, expert meditators exhibited lower delta power and higher delta PE than controls. Self-reported sleep quality did not differ between groups, but expert meditators slept longer, had reduced %N1, and higher %N2. During NREM sleep, they exhibited reduced delta power, increased alpha power, and greater theta PE. During REM sleep, they tended to show greater theta power. Finally, the composite score of meditation expertise was negatively associated with %N1, and tended to be positively associated with %N2 and REM sleep theta power. Overall, these results suggest that expert meditators showed more preserved brain activity at rest and sleep architecture, and exhibited EEG features suggesting higher cognitive states during NREM sleep. Clinical Trial Information: Name: Study in Cognitively Intact Seniors Aiming to Assess the Effects of Meditation Training (Age-Well). Registration: EudraCT: 2016-002441-36; IDRCB: 2016-A01767-44; ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02977819. (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02977819?term=Age-Well&draw=2&rank=1).

Comparable studies

Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students 2006 Observational cohort
Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia 1992 Observational cohort n = 22
Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls 2005 Observational cohort n = 20
Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls 2011 Observational cohort
Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls 2004 Observational cohort

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