Impacts of the Mindfulness Meditation Mobile App Calm on Undergraduate Students' Sleep and Emotional State: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.
Tovan Lew, Natnaiel M Dubale, Erik Doose, Alex Adenuga, Holly E Bates, Sarah L West
JMIR Formative Research June 11, 2025 DOI: 10.2196/66131 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pilot randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 80 |
| Population | Undergraduate students at a Canadian university |
| Intervention | Calm app |
| Dose | 20 minutes daily, 5 days a week on sleep section, plus 30 minutes weekly on other sections (130 minutes per week) |
| Duration | 30-day intervention |
| Topics | Anxiety Depression Meditation |
| Keywords | Emotional state Mhealth Mobile apps Mobile phone Pilot study Students University Mindfulness apps Stress management Sleep quality Student mental health Mobile health interventions |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key findings | Using the Calm mindfulness app for 30 days significantly reduced state anxiety, stress, and improved sleep quality in undergraduate students compared to a control group. |
Abstract
Undergraduate students frequently experience negative emotional states and sleep quality, which is believed to have worsened following the COVID-19 pandemic. This study piloted the use of a popular mobile mindfulness app (Calm) as a potential intervention to improve state depression, anxiety, stress, and sleep quality in undergraduate students attending a Canadian university, following the COVID-19 pandemic. Undergraduate students were randomly assigned to a control or treatment group and completed a series of 3 questionnaires to evaluate baseline state emotional health (Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 42-Item Version [DASS-42], Perceived Stress Scale 10-Item Version [PSS-10], and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index). Treatment group participants were instructed to engage with the fully-automated Calm app's sleep section for 30 days: 20 minutes daily, 5 days a week, along with an additional 30 minutes of interaction with other app sections each week, resulting in a goal of 130 minutes per week. The control participants were instructed to continue with everyday life and refrain from the use of mindfulness-based apps for 30 days. Following the 30-day treatment period, all participants repeated the 3 questionnaires. The impact of the treatment on all outcomes was examined using linear mixed model analyses. Independent samples t tests were used to determine if psychosocial health or sleep scores differed between baseline and follow-up and if differences in such scores were present between the groups. A total of 80 students met the inclusion criteria and were randomly assigned to the control (n=40) or treatment (n=40) group. One control participant was lost to follow-up and 3 treatment participants discontinued engaging with the Calm app. Both control (n=39) and treatment (n=37) groups began with similar demographic, emotional state, and sleep characteristics. Treatment participants engaged with the Calm app's sleep section for an average of 234 minutes per week; however, 54% (20/37) met the minimum prescribed interaction time across all 4 weeks. Following the 30-day treatment period, compared to the control group, the treatment group's state anxiety (mean 14, SD 7.4 vs mean 12, SD 7.8; P=.002), state stress (DASS-42: mean 20, SD 8.8 vs mean 15, SD 8.5; P<.001; PSS-10: mean 22, SD 5.9 vs mean 19, SD 5.9; P=.02), and sleep quality (mean 7.7, SD 2.7 vs mean 6.4, SD 3.5; P<.001) improved. Posttreatment, state stress and perceived stress severity was lower in the treatment versus control group (DASS-42: P=.02; PSS-10: P=.03, respectively). These pilot findings indicate that a mindfulness app may be an effective tool for reducing state anxiety and stress, as well as enhancing sleep quality among undergraduate university students. A larger, randomized controlled trial should confirm these findings.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cites 8
- The efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions on mental health among university students: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Public Health 2023
- Engagement Strategies to Improve Adherence and Retention in Web-Based Mindfulness Programs: Systematic Review Journal of Medical Internet Research August 28, 2023
- Effects of online mindfulness-based interventions on the mental health of university students: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology February 8, 2023
- Effects of Mobile Mindfulness Meditation on the Mental Health of University Students: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Journal of Medical Internet Research April 29, 2022
- Impact of App-Delivered Mindfulness Meditation on Functional Connectivity, Mental Health, and Sleep Disturbances Among Physician Assistant Students: Randomized, Wait-list Controlled Pilot Study. JMIR Formative Research October 19, 2021
and 3 more in the library