A digital mindfulness intervention improves sleep efficiency and heart rate variability in healthy adults.
Ulrich Kirk, Cirkeline Nellemann Hovgaard, Marino Theodor Larsen Persiani, Marco Romagnoli, Walter Staiano
Scientific Reports March 21, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-44902-w (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 81 |
| Population | Healthy adults |
| Intervention | Mindfulness program delivered through the ŌURA app |
| Duration | 10-day intervention with 4-week follow-up |
| Measures | Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI), Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), sleep efficiency, total sleep, deep sleep, light sleep, sleep-onset time, heart rate, heart-rate variability |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Humans Stress, psychological Heart rate Adult Middle aged Female Surveys and questionnaires Sleep quality Headspace Oura Wearable data |
| Registration | NCT07469644 |
| Key findings | A 10-day app-based mindfulness program improved sleep efficiency, total sleep, deep and light sleep, and sleep-onset time in healthy adults, with most gains persisting at 4-week follow-up except deep sleep. The program also increased mindful attention awareness and, transiently, personal burnout, while heart rate fell and heart-rate variability rose during sessions. |
Abstract
To test whether a 10-day mindfulness program delivered through the ŌURA app improves sleep and stress in healthy adults, eighty-one adults were randomized to mindfulness (n = 49) or waitlist control (n = 32). Participants wore an Ōura ring during baseline, intervention/wait-list, and 4-week follow-up, recording sleep efficiency, total, deep, and light sleep, plus sleep-onset time. Questionnaires-Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), perceived stress scale (PSS), Copenhagen burnout inventory (CBI), and mindful attention awareness scale (MAAS)-were completed pre- and post-intervention and at follow-up. Mixed-model ANOVAs revealed significant group × time interactions for sleep efficiency, total sleep, deep and light sleep, and sleep-onset time (all ps < 0.031). Results showed that the mindfulness group improved after 10 days (all ps < 0.021); gains persisted at follow-up except for deep sleep. The mindfulness group exhibited increased personal burnout (p = 0.021) immediately post-intervention, though this returned toward baseline at follow-up. In addition, the mindfulness showed higher MAAS scores (p = 0.017). During mindfulness sessions heart rate fell (p = 0.011) and heart-rate variability rose (p = 0.029). A brief, app-based mindfulness program produced sustained improvements in sleep efficiency and enhanced HRV, demonstrating that digital mindfulness can favorably influence biobehavioral sleep-stress metrics.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT07469644.
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 10
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences October 11, 2007
- A randomized controlled trial of mindfulness meditation versus relaxation training: Effects on distress, positive states of mind, rumination, and distraction Annals of Behavioral Medicine February 1, 2007
- 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
- Mindfulness Meditation and Improvement in Sleep Quality and Daytime Impairment Among Older Adults With Sleep Disturbances JAMA Internal Medicine February 16, 2015
and 5 more in the library