Systematic review and meta-analysis of effects of standalone digital mindfulness-based interventions on sleep in adults.
Si-An Lee, Jin-Hyuck Park
NPJ Digital Medicine December 3, 2025 DOI: 10.1038/s41746-025-02120-0 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review and meta-analysis Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 4,870 |
| Population | Adults across diverse populations participating in randomized controlled trials of digital mindfulness-based interventions |
| Intervention | Digital mindfulness-based interventions (DMBIs) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Standalone digital mindfulness-based interventions significantly improved sleep health (Hedges' g = 0.38, p < 0.001) and mental health (Hedges' g = 0.33, p < 0.01) in adults, with sensitivity analyses confirming robustness and meta-regression showing a dose-response relationship. However, high heterogeneity and publication bias reduced the certainty of evidence to very low, leading the authors to call for further high-quality research. |
Abstract
Sleep disturbances and mental health issues represent escalating global health challenges, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and increased digital media consumption. Digital mindfulness-based interventions (DMBIs) have emerged as a scalable and accessible alternative, but no prior meta-analysis has rigorously isolated the effects of standalone DMBIs on sleep and mental health. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library. Eighteen eligible RCTs were identified, involving a total of 4870 participants for sleep outcomes and 4489 participants for mental health outcomes. Standalone DMBIs significantly improved sleep health with a moderate effect size (Hedges' g = 0.38, p < 0.001; very low-certainty evidence) and mental health with a moderate effect size (Hedges' g = 0.33, p < 0.01; very low-certainty evidence). Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of the findings, and meta-regression demonstrated a dose-response relationship between intervention dose and outcomes. Nevertheless, high heterogeneity and publication bias reduced the certainty of evidence to very low levels. Our findings support the potential of standalone DMBIs as a scalable and cost-effective approach to improve sleep and mental health across diverse adult populations. However, further high-quality research is essential to improve evidence certainty, address adherence challenges, and optimize intervention strategies based on delivery format and population characteristics.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being Diverse adult clinical populations | 2014 | Meta-analysis | n = 3,515 |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis Healthy subjects | 2009 | Systematic review and meta-analysis | |
| The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Nonclinical groups of adult meditators | 2012 | Meta-analysis | n = 163 |
| Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse Adults with recurrent depression in full or partial remission | 2016 | Meta-analysis of individual patient data from randomized controlled trials | n = 1,258 |
| Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials | 2011 | Systematic review |
Citations in the library
Cites 18
- What defines mindfulness-based programs? The warp and the weft Psychological Medicine December 29, 2016
- The effect of mindfulness meditation on sleep quality: a systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences December 21, 2018
- The efficacy of mindfulness apps on symptoms of depression and anxiety: An updated meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Clinical Psychology Review February 1, 2024
- Mindfulness improves psychological health and supports health behaviour cognitions: Evidence from a pragmatic RCT of a digital mindfulness-based intervention. British Journal of Health Psychology November 1, 2024
- App-Based Mindfulness for Attenuation of Subjective and Physiological Stress Reactivity in a Population With Elevated Stress: Randomized Controlled Trial JMIR mHealth and uHealth August 8, 2023
and 13 more in the library