Effect of Meditation on Heart Rate Variability
Sobhendu Kumar Ghatak
arXiv Preprint Archive July 19, 2021 preprint
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study |
|---|---|
| Population | Disciples of Ramakrishna Mission |
| Intervention | Meditation (dhyana) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Physics.med-ph Cardiology Biometrics Heart-rhythm-analysis Physiology |
| Key findings | Meditation reduces heart rate, increases stroke volume, and alters heart rate variability parameters, suggesting improved autonomic regulation and mental calmness. |
Abstract
The dynamics of the autonomic nervous system, a prime factor for variation of heart rate is modulated by lifestyle factors like meditation and breathing exercises. The effect of meditation (dhyana)practiced by disciples of Ramakrishna Mission(RKM) on the heart rate variability is examined. The heart rate (HR)of a group of disciples of RKM is obtained from ECG signal recorded over a short time duration. Lagged Poincare plot of the heart rate(HR), the method of the principal component analysis, and the autocorrelation of HR fluctuations are used to analyze the HR. The variation of Poincare parameters (SD1),(SD2) and their ratio (SD12), with a lagged number, are non-linear and reveal a significant change with meditation. In particular, the magnitude of the slope and the curvature of(SD12) with lagged number increases after meditation. The meditation reduces the heart rate and increases the stroke volume. A strong correlation between slope and curvature of (SD12) is noted from the correlation matrix of multi-dimensional data set resulting from the Poincar\'e plot. The principal components (PC) of data resulting from pre-and post-meditation are well separated in PC-space. The entropy associated with R-wave fluctuations for all meditators is reduced after meditation. The auto-correlation of HR fluctuations exhibits a highly correlated pattern after meditation. The study suggests that meditation improves the heart rate dynamics and the 'calmness' of mind.
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 |