Sleep-Based Brain Age Is Reduced in Advanced Inner Engineering Meditators.
Jayme C Banks, Sepideh Hariri, Kestutis Kveraga, An Ouyang, Kaileigh Gallagher, Syed A Quadri, Ryan A Tesh, Preeti Upadhyay Reed, Robert J Thomas, M Brandon Westover, Haoqi Sun, Balachundhar Subramaniam
Mindfulness 2025 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-025-02583-y (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Prospective cohort study Preregistered Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 34 |
| Population | Meditators attending the Samyama Sadhana retreat |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Brain health Electroencephalography Sleep Wearable device |
| Key findings | Long-term meditators exhibit a brain age index 5.9 years younger than their chronological age, indicating lower brain age relative to matched control groups. |
Abstract
We aimed to quantify the effects of advanced meditation on brain electrical activity during sleep. This investigation addresses the need for objective neurophysiological measures of meditation's potential impact on brain aging and health. This study was a single-site, prospective cohort study (conducted August 25, 2021, through September 26, 2021) of meditators attending the "Samyama Sadhana" retreat (September 1-5, 2021). Two healthy comparison groups and four comparison groups with varying degrees of age-related brain pathology are included. Using overnight electroencephalography, physiological measures of brain age were derived and subtracted from chronological age, measuring the deviation of apparent brain age from chronological age. Thirty-four participants completed the study (average age = 38 years; 36% female). Estimated brain age index after adjustment by matching: meditators (n = 34), - 5.9 years (SE = 0.94 years, t-test p < 0.001); Dreem healthy controls (n = 1077), - 0.24 (0.61, p < 0.001); Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) healthy controls (n = 112), 0.55 (0.92, p < 0.05); MGH "no dementia" (n = 7618), 2.4 (0.094, reference cohort for t-test); MGH "symptomatic" (n = 697), 2.0 (0.33, p > 0.05); MGH "mild cognitive impairment (MCI)"(n = 205), 8.8 (2.8, p < 0.05); and MGH "dementia" (n = 153), 10.5 (2.8, p < 0.01). Long-term meditators exhibit lower brain age relative to matched control groups. This study suggests that advanced meditation enhances brain health. This study was not preregistered. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12671-025-02583-y.
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 2
- Health Benefits of the Isha Samyama Sadhana Meditation Programme: A Scoping Review International Journal of Health Sciences and Research February 12, 2026
- Electroencephalography-Based Measures to Understand Meditation and Mindfulness: Bibliometric Scoping Review of Randomized Controlled Trials. Global Advances in Integrative Medicine and Health 2026
Cites 39
- 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
- A Randomized Controlled Trial of Mindfulness Meditation for Chronic Insomnia Sleep August 29, 2014
- Experienced Mindfulness Meditators Exhibit Higher Parietal-Occipital EEG Gamma Activity during NREM Sleep PLoS One August 28, 2013
- Coupling of respiration and attention via the locus coeruleus: Effects of meditation and pranayama Psychophysiology April 22, 2018
and 34 more in the library