Effectiveness of a short Yoga Nidra meditation on stress, sleep, and well-being in a large and diverse sample
Esther N. Moszeik, Timo von Oertzen, K.-H. Renner
Current Psychology September 8, 2020 DOI: 10.1007/s12144-020-01042-2 (opens in new tab) via Semantic Scholar
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractAn 11-minute Yoga Nidra meditation, practiced daily for 30 days, led to lower stress, higher well-being, and improved sleep quality compared with a waitlist control group. Effects were very small to small and remained stable at a six-week follow-up. The meditation reduced negative affect more than it increased positive affect, and mindfulness increased within the meditation group. A large, heterogeneous sample demonstrated that even a very short daily meditation can positively influence stress, sleep, and well-being.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 771 |
| Population | Adults from a heterogeneous sample |
| Intervention | Yoga Nidra meditation |
| Dose | 11 minutes daily for 30 days |
| Duration | 30-day intervention, 6-week follow-up |
| Keywords | Psychology Medicine |
| Key finding | An 11-minute daily Yoga Nidra meditation for 30 days reduced stress, improved well-being and sleep quality compared with a waitlist control group, with effects maintained at six-week follow-up. |
Abstract
Previous studies have shown that meditation-based interventions can have a significant impact on stress and well-being in various populations. To further extend these findings, an 11-min Yoga Nidra meditation that may especially be integrated in a busy daily schedule by people who can only afford short time for breaks was adapted and analyzed in an experimental online study design. The effects of this short meditation on stress, sleep, well-being and mindfulness were examined for the first time. The meditation was provided as audio file and carried out during a period of 30 days by the participants of the meditation group. A Structural Equation Model (SEM) was used to analyze the data with Full Information Maximum Likelihood (FIML) in order to cope with missing data. As expected, the meditation group (N = 341) showed lower stress, higher well-being and improved sleep quality after the intervention (very small to small effect sizes) compared with a waitlist control group (N = 430). It turned out that the meditation had a stronger impact on the reduction of negative affect than on the increase of positive affect and also a stronger effect on affective components of well-being. Mindfulness, as a core element of the meditation, increased during the study within the meditation group. All effects remained stable at follow-up six weeks later. Overall, a large, heterogeneous sample showed that already a very short dose of meditation can positively influence stress, sleep, and well-being. Future research should consider biological markers as well as active control groups.