Effectiveness of an 8-Week Meditation Intervention on Stress, Anxiety, and Sleep Quality in Older Adults: A Randomised Controlled Trial

An 8-week structured meditation program involving guided sessions of 30–45 minutes produced clinically meaningful improvements in perceived stress and sleep quality among 58 community-dwelling older adults aged 60 years or older with mild-to-moderate stress, anxiety, or sleep disturbance. Both meditation protocols led to very large reductions in perceived stress (44–47%) and sleep disturbance (40–47%), with no significant difference between the two protocols for these outcomes. Only one of the two protocols significantly reduced anxiety (by 46.5%), while the other's anxiety reduction was not statistically significant. The findings suggest that meditation strategies should be selected according to the predominant symptom profile, particularly when anxiety is a primary concern.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Background: Sleep disturbance, stress, and anxiety are highly prevalent among older adults and adversely affect physical health, cognitive function, and quality of life. Meditation is a safe, low-cost, non-pharmacological intervention that may improve these interrelated outcomes. Objective: To evaluate the effect of an 8-week structured meditation program on perceived stress, anxiety, and sleep quality in community-dwelling older adults and to compare the relative efficacy of two meditation-based intervention protocols (Group A and Group B). Methods: In this prospective interventional study, 58 older adults aged ≥60 years with mild-to-moderate stress, anxiety, or sleep disturbance were allocated to two intervention arms (Group A, n = 29; Group B, n = 29) and completed an 8-week structured meditation program involving guided sessions of 30–45 minutes. Stress, anxiety, and sleep quality were assessed before and after the intervention using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), respectively. Within-group changes were analysed using paired-samples t-tests, between-group differences using independent-samples t-tests, and effect magnitude using Cohen’s d. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: Groups were comparable for age (p = 0.598) and baseline PSS (p = 0.636); however, Group B had significantly higher baseline GAI scores (p = 0.001) and Group A had significantly higher baseline PSQI scores (p = 0.045). Both groups showed statistically significant and very large reductions in PSS (Group A: 44.4%, d = 2.55; Group B: 47.0%, d = 3.34; both p < 0.001) and PSQI (Group A: 40.2%, d = 2.14; Group B: 46.5%, d = 2.03; both p < 0.001), with no significant between-group difference in the magnitude of change (PSS p = 0.286; PSQI p = 0.464). For GAI, only Group B showed a statistically significant within-group reduction (46.5%, d = 1.24, p < 0.001), whereas Group A’s change was non-significant (14.7%, d = 0.24, p = 0.207); the between-group difference significantly favored Group B (p < 0.001, d = 1.01). Conclusion: An 8-week meditation-based intervention produced clinically meaningful and statistically significant improvements in perceived stress and sleep quality in older adults, irrespective of protocol. The Group B protocol additionally conferred a significantly superior anxiolytic effect, suggesting that meditation strategies should be selected according to the predominant symptom profile, particularly when anxiety is a primary concern.