Effectiveness of meditation for fatigue management: Insight from a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis.
Byung-Jin Park, Yu-Jin Choi, Jin-Seok Lee, Yo-Chan Ahn, Eun-Jung Lee, Chang-Gue Son
General Hospital Psychiatry August 1, 2024 DOI: 10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2024.08.001 (opens in new tab) via Semantic Scholar
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA systematic review and meta-analysis of 29 randomized controlled trials with 4,104 participants found that meditation significantly reduced fatigue scores by an average of 6.4 points compared to control conditions, after an average meditation duration of 9.6 weeks. The largest reduction occurred in sub-healthy populations (8.2 points), followed by general (6.9 points) and disease groups (5.7 points). Effects were most pronounced for mental fatigue (10.0 points), especially when meditation was guided by an expert and included supplementary homework. The authors conclude that meditation is an effective nonpharmacological intervention for fatigue management.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Systematic review and meta-analysis Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 4,104 |
| Population | Various populations including sub-healthy, general, and disease groups |
| Intervention | Meditation |
| Duration | Average 9.6 weeks |
| Keywords | Medicine Psychology |
| Key finding | Meditation reduced fatigue scores by an average of 6.4 points compared to controls, with the largest effect on mental fatigue. |
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This systematic review and meta-analysis revealed the effectiveness of meditation in addressing fatigue, given its widespread use as a remedy for sleep disturbances and fatigue. METHOD We analyzed 29 randomized controlled trials from MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library, spanning from December 31, 2022. We conducted two metaanalyses using mean difference (MD) with normalized data and standardized mean difference (SMD) with original data. RESULTS These trials included various populations, with baseline fatigue severity observed at 52.2 ± 16.0 points among 4104 participants. After an average meditation duration of 9.6 ± 4.7 weeks, fatigue scores decreased significantly by 6.4 points of MD [95% CI, 4.3-8.5] compared to controls. The most significant reduction occurred in the sub-healthy group (MD 8.2 [95% CI, 2.7 to 13.8]), followed by the general group (MD 6.9 [95% CI, 0.4 to 13.4]), and the disease group (MD 5.7 [95% CI, 3.4 to 8.0]). Notably, meditation-based anti-fatigue effects were particularly pronounced for mental fatigue (MD 10.0 [95% CI, 4.3 to 15.6]), especially with expert guidance and supplementary homework. CONCLUSION These findings align with meta-analysis results using standardized mean difference (SMD), providing evidence for meditation as an effective nonpharmacological intervention for fatigue management, while also informing effective meditation approaches. REGISTRATION NUMBER CRD42023395551 in PROSPERO.