Effect of transcendental meditation on breathing and respiratory control
N. Wolkove, H. Kreisman, D. Darragh, C. Cohen, H. Frank
Journal of Applied Physiology March 1, 1984 DOI: 10.1152/jappl.1984.56.3.607 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 32 |
| Population | Experienced meditators and control subjects |
| Intervention | Transcendental meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Transcendental meditation significantly decreases minute ventilation and the hypercapnic ventilatory response in experienced meditators. |
Abstract
We studied the effect of transcendental meditation (TM) on breathing using 16 experienced meditators and 16 control subjects. In controls, there was no significant difference in minute ventilation (VE), respiratory pattern, or hypercapnic response, whether breathing with eyes open-awake (CA), or with eyes closed-relaxing (CR). In meditators, VE decreased significantly during quiet breathing from 14.0 +/- 0.7 1/min with eyes open-awake (MA) to 12.4 +/- 0.6 1/min during meditation (MM) (P less than 0.02). The change in VE during meditation was due to a decrease in tidal volume (VT) resulting from a shortened inspiratory time (TI). Meditation was associated with a decreased response to progressive hypercapnia from 3.7 +/- 0.4 to 2.5 +/- 0.21 X min-1 X Torr-1 during MA and MM trials, respectively (P less than 0.01). During meditation VT was smaller at a given alveolar PCO2 than during MA studies because of a decrease in mean inspiratory flow rate (VT/TI). These observations suggest that an alteration in wakefulness, more subtle than sleep or the unconscious state, can significantly affect the chemical and neural regulation of breathing.
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 16
- Quantitative change of EEG and respiration signals during mindfulness meditation Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation May 14, 2014
- Coupling of respiration and attention via the locus coeruleus: Effects of meditation and pranayama Psychophysiology April 22, 2018
- A pilot study: mindfulness meditation intervention in COPD International Journal of COPD March 1, 2015
- Respiratory function in healthy long-term meditators: A cross-sectional comparative study Heliyon July 22, 2023
- Mapping the functional brain state of a world champion freediver in static dry apnea Brain Structure and Function 2021
and 11 more in the library