Variation Analysis of Sphygmogram to Assess Cardiovascular System under Meditation.
Chuan-Yi Liu, Ching-Chuan Wei, Pei-Chen Lo
Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM March 1, 2009 DOI: 10.1093/ecam/nem065 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Zen-meditation practitioners and a control group |
| Intervention | Zen meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Zen-meditation practitioners had greater after-meditation increases in h(1)/t(1), h(3)/h(1), and h(5)/h(1) and a greater decrease in h(4)/h(1) compared to controls, with statistical significance. |
Abstract
In this article, we studied how meditation affects the characteristics of the cardiovascular system, mainly based on blood pressure waveforms (BPW). Four parameters derived from BPW include the rising slope (h(1)/t(1)), normalized height of T wave (h(3)/h(1)), normalized height of V(3) valley (h(4)/h(1)) and normalized height of D wave (h(5)/h(1)), where t(1) and h(i), i = 1, ... ,5 are quantitative features of the BPW waveform pattern. A larger value of h(1)/t(1) reflects better heart ejection ability and aorta compliance. A larger value of h(3)/h(1) may infer an arterial system with good elasticity. The decrease (increase) of h(4)/h(1) parameter indicates the decrease (increase) of peripheral resistance of vessels. A larger value of h(5)/h(1) indicates better artery elasticity and aortic valve function. In comparison with the control group, Zen-meditation practitioners have more after-meditation h(1)/t(1), h(3)/h(1) and h(5)/h(1) increase, with more h(4)/h(1) decrease, with statistical significance (P < 0.05). The observation allows us to infer that Zen meditation may effectively improve relevant characteristics of the cardiovascular system.