Brief online mindfulness meditation training modulates heart rate variability during post-stress meditation
Yuki Tsuji, Itsuki Kondo, Sotaro Shimada
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial |
|---|---|
| Population | Healthy adults with no meditation experience |
| Intervention | online mindfulness meditation program |
| Duration | Four-week training period |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | A brief online mindfulness program can modulate heart rate variability during a stress-to-meditation context, and post-stress autonomic modulation during meditation covaries with acceptance-related skill acquisition. |
Abstract
Abstract Mindfulness-based interventions are increasingly delivered online, yet evidence for short programs often relies on self-report outcomes. We tested whether a brief online mindfulness meditation training produces detectable changes in autonomic regulation during a standardized stress-to-meditation sequence. Healthy adults with no meditation experience were randomized to a four-week online mindfulness meditation program (MG) or an active health-management program (CG). Before and after training, participants completed a laboratory session consisting of rest, a mental arithmetic stress task, guided focused-attention breathing meditation, and post-rest while ECG was recorded. Across the training period, both groups showed reduced negative affective symptoms, but only the mindfulness group showed an increase in the Observing facet. Critically, frequency-domain HRV indices during the laboratory protocol showed a group-specific post-training pattern: MG exhibited lower LF/HF and higher normalized HF power (nHF) compared with pre-training, and MG differed from CG in the post-training session. Within MG, training-related improvement in FFMQ Non-reactivity was positively associated with nHF during the post-stress meditation period. These findings indicate that a brief online mindfulness program can modulate HRV during a stress-to-meditation context and that post-stress autonomic modulation during meditation covaries with acceptance-related skill acquisition.
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 13
- Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Assessment February 29, 2008
- Short-term autonomic and cardiovascular effects of mindfulness body scan meditation Annals of Behavioral Medicine November 15, 2006
- Does the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire measure what we think it does? Construct validity evidence from an active controlled randomized clinical trial. Psychological Assessment October 13, 2015
- The secret ingredient in mindfulness interventions? A case for practice quality over quantity. Journal of Counseling Psychology 2014
- App-Based Mindfulness for Attenuation of Subjective and Physiological Stress Reactivity in a Population With Elevated Stress: Randomized Controlled Trial JMIR mHealth and uHealth August 8, 2023
and 8 more in the library