Enhanced dehydroepiandrosterone levels are positively correlated with N3 sleep stage in long-term mindfulness meditation practitioners.
Ravindra P. Nagendra, Talakad N. Sathyaprabha, Bindu M Kutty
Sleep Science 2022 DOI: 10.5935/1984-0063.20220039 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 65 |
| Population | Long-term Vipassana meditators and controls (males, 30-60 years of age) |
| Intervention | Vipassana meditation |
| Duration | Two-day consecutive whole night polysomnography recording |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Dehydroepiandrosterone Hydrocortisone Melatonin Sleep, slow-wave |
| Citations | 11 |
| Key findings | Long-term Vipassana meditation practice modulates the HPA axis, as indicated by higher diurnal DHEA and melatonin, and correlates with increased N3 sleep. |
Abstract
Meditation practices positively influence the neural, hormonal and autonomic systems. We have demonstrated that long-term practice of mindfulness meditation increases N3 and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep stages and bring efficient autonomic modulation during sleep. In the present study, the probable humoral correlation that could bring about these changes is evaluated. Long-term Vipassana meditators (n=41) and controls (n=24) (males, 30-60 years of age) underwent a two-day consecutive whole night polysomnography recording. During the second day, with exposure to 100Lux brightness, blood was sampled from the antecubital vein between 8-9 PM and in subsequent early morning. Sleep stage was scored as per American Society of Sleep Medicine (ASSM) guidelines for the second-day recording. Sleep-related hormones were estimated - melatonin by radioimmunoassay; dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), cortisol, growth hormone (GH) and prolactin with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); DHEA/cortisol ratio was calculated. Percentage of sleep stages and hormonal levels were compared between both groups using independent 't' test and Pearson's correlation was estimated between sleep stages and hormonal levels. Meditators showed increased N3, REM sleep stages. Though evening cortisol was comparable between the two groups; early morning cortisol, diurnal DHEA and melatonin were significantly higher in meditators. Diurnal DHEA correlated significantly with the N3 sleep stage in meditators. Higher diurnal DHEA despite variations in corresponding cortisol in meditators demonstrates that long-term Vipassana meditation practice modulates the hypothalamicpituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and thereby influences sleep. Thus, the study provides evidence to explore the mechanism most likely involved with mindfulness meditation intervention in insomnia.
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 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 5
- Effects of Virtual Reality Meditation on Sleep and Delirium in ICU Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Computers, informatics, nursing : CIN April 2, 2025
- Efficacy of Mindfulness Meditation on Patients With Stroke With Concurrent Coronary Heart Disease: A Randomised Controlled Trial. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy 2024
- Effect of a Web-Based Heartfulness Program on the Mental Well-Being, Biomarkers, and Gene Expression Profile of Health Care Students: Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR bioinformatics and biotechnology December 16, 2024
- Serum melatonin and serotonin levels in long-term skilled meditators. Explore 2023
- Effect of online mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy on psychological distress of perioperative 0-II breast cancer patients
Cites 27
- Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 8, 2004
- The effect of mindfulness meditation on sleep quality: a systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences December 21, 2018
- A Randomized Controlled Trial of Mindfulness Meditation for Chronic Insomnia Sleep August 29, 2014
- Stress Reduction and Preventing Hypertension: Preliminary Support for a Psychoneuroendocrine Mechanism The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine June 1, 1995
- Self-reported mindfulness and cortisol during a Shamatha meditation retreat. Health Psychology October 1, 2013
and 22 more in the library