Effect of Brief Mindfulness Meditation Interventions on Heart Rate Variability in Adults: A Systematic Review.
Alexis Barbry, Éva Gál, Annie Carton, Jérémy Coquart
Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback July 26, 2025 DOI: 10.1007/s10484-025-09724-y (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Brief mindfulness meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Heart rate Physiological stress Psychological interventions Rmssd Ratio lf/hf |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key findings | Brief mindfulness meditation is associated with a short-term increase in RMSSD, suggesting a temporary reduction in physiological stress. |
Abstract
Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is considered as an objective assessment of stress, that considerably increased the last decades. The influence of Brief Mindfulness Meditation (BMM) on HRV contains gaps in the literature. This study aims to investigate the influence of BMM on HRV. A systematic search was conducted in four databases (i.e., PubMed NCBI, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and Web of Science). To be included, these studies were required to evaluate HRV before and during or after a BMM intervention. The methodological quality of the included studies was evaluated with the revised Cochrane Risk-of-Bias and the quality of the evidence was assessed with the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation. Seven studies met the inclusion criteria. Three studies had within subject design, two studies compared BMM with other relaxation techniques, one study was a controlled trial, and one study was an uncontrolled trial. Three studies, including 120 participants, found that BMM is associated with an increase of Root Mean Square of Successive Differences (RMSSD). Two studies reported an increase of the LF/HF ratio; however, the quality of the evidence was low. Although the large amount of heterogeneity can be seen as the main limitation, the results suggest that RMSSD may increase in the short-term during or after BMM, suggesting that BMM might be a promising psychological intervention to temporally reduce the physiological stress of the population. Future randomised controlled trials, measuring long-term effects of BMM on HRV, need to be conducted.Registration and information: This systematic review was registered on the international Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) database (#CRD42022291907). The review protocol can be accessed on the following link: brief mindfulness and heart rate variability .
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being Diverse adult clinical populations | 2014 | Meta-analysis | n = 3,515 |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis Healthy subjects | 2009 | Systematic review and meta-analysis | |
| The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Nonclinical groups of adult meditators | 2012 | Meta-analysis | n = 163 |
| Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse Adults with recurrent depression in full or partial remission | 2016 | Meta-analysis of individual patient data from randomized controlled trials | n = 1,258 |
| Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials | 2011 | Systematic review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- PHYSIOLOGY OF MEDITATION WITH REFERENCE TO VARIOUS MANASIKA VYADHI Intemed International Journal of Research in Integrated Medical Sciences September 30, 2026
- Exploring the impact of a brief mindfulness-based intervention on autonomic functioning: A multisystem approach Physiology & Behavior April 17, 2026
- The Relevance of Heart Rate Variability for Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy Brain Sciences March 25, 2026
- Mind-body effects of mindfulness-based training in athletes: a preliminary randomized controlled trial. Frontiers in Psychology February 19, 2026
Cites 21
- Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects Psychological Inquiry October 19, 2007
- Functional brain mapping of the relaxation response and meditation Neuroreport May 1, 2000
- Short-term autonomic and cardiovascular effects of mindfulness body scan meditation Annals of Behavioral Medicine November 15, 2006
- Brief Mindfulness Meditation Improves Emotion Processing Frontiers in Neuroscience October 10, 2019
- Mindfulness as Self-Regulated Attention Swiss Journal of Psychology 2012
and 16 more in the library