An Overview of the Methods Used to Measure the Impact of Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Sleep-Related Outcomes.
Julia Ribeiro Da Silva Vallim, Gabriela Sant'Ana Lima, Gabriel Natan Pires, Sergio Tufik, Marcelo Demarzo, Vania D'Almeida
Sleep science (Sao Paulo, Brazil) December 1, 2023 DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1773789 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 193 |
| Intervention | mindfulness-based interventions |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Actigraphy Bibliometrics Polysomnography Sleep quality |
| Key findings | Most studies on mindfulness and sleep rely exclusively on subjective measures, which have moderate to nonexistent agreement with objective measures and may misrepresent the effects of mindfulness on sleep. |
Abstract
Introduction: Systematic reviews and metanalyses have shown that mindfulness-based interventions can have positive effects on health, such as reducing anxiety, depression, and chronic pain. However, their effect on sleep-related outcomes is not yet well established. Sleep can be assessed subjectively (questionnaires, sleep logs, self-reporting) and/or objectively (actigraphy, polysomnography, biological markers), and outcomes may differ depending on which type of assessment is used.
Objective: In this study, we present a literature overview on mindfulness and sleep, innovatively presenting and discussing studies that address sleep subjectively and objectively.
Methods: The search was undertaken using four databases (Pubmed Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, Psychinfo) in September 2019, and repeated in May 2021. Studies were analyzed through a two-step process: (1) reading titles and abstracts, and (2) full text analysis that met the review's eligibility criteria, with the final sample comprising 193 articles. We observed a growth in the number of studies published, particularly since 2005. However, this was mostly due to an increase in studies based on subjective research. There is a moderate to nonexistent agreement between objective and subjective sleep measures, with results of subjective measures having higher variability and uncertainty.We identified 151 articles (78%) using an exclusively subjective sleep evaluation, which can cause a misperception about mindfulness effects on sleep.
Conclusion: Future studies should place greater emphasis on objective measurements to accurately investigate the effects of mindfulness practices on sleep, although subjective measures also have a role to play in respect of some aspects of this relationship.