Mindfulness training for coping with hot flashes
James Carmody, Sybil L. Crawford, Elena Salmoirago-Blotcher, Katherine Leung, Linda Churchill, Nicholas Olendzki
Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society March 4, 2011 DOI: 10.1097/gme.0b013e318204a05c (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 110 |
| Population | Late perimenopausal and early postmenopausal women experiencing an average of 5 or more moderate or severe hot flashes (including night sweats) per day |
| Duration | 8-week intervention, 3-month postintervention follow-up |
| Measures | bothersomeness score, hot flash intensity, quality of life, subjective sleep quality, anxiety, perceived stress |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 190 |
| Key findings | MBSR reduced bother from hot flashes and night sweats more than a wait-list control (14.77% vs 6.79% reduction at intervention completion; 21.62% vs 10.50% at 20 weeks), with no difference in hot flash intensity. MBSR also improved quality of life, subjective sleep quality, anxiety, and perceived stress, with gains maintained at 3 months. |
Abstract
In Brief
Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of participation in a mindfulness training program (mindfulness-based stress reduction, [MBSR]) on the degree of bother from hot flashes and night sweats.
Methods: This study was a randomized trial of 110 late perimenopausal and early postmenopausal women experiencing an average of 5 or more moderate or severe hot flashes (including night sweats)/day. A wait-list control (WLC) was used with 3-month postintervention follow-up. The main outcome was the degree of bother from hot flashes and night sweats in the previous 24 hours. Secondary measures were hot flash intensity, quality of life, insomnia, anxiety, and perceived stress.
Results: Baseline average (SD) hot flash frequency was 7.87 (3.44) and 2.81 (1.76) night sweats/day. Mean (SD) bothersomeness score was 3.18 (0.55; "moderately bothered/extremely bothered"). All analyses were intention to treat and were controlled for baseline values. Within-woman changes in bother from hot flashes differed significantly by treatment arm (week × treatment arm interaction, P = 0.042). At completion of the intervention, bother in the MBSR arm decreased on average by 14.77% versus 6.79% for WLC. At 20 weeks, total reduction in bother for MBSR was 21.62% and 10.50% for WLC. Baseline-adjusted changes in hot flash intensity did not differ between treatment arms (week × treatment arm interaction, P = 0.692). The MBSR arm made clinically significant improvements in quality of life (P = 0.022), subjective sleep quality (P = 0.009), anxiety (P = 0.005), and perceived stress (P = 0.001). Improvements were maintained 3 months postintervention.
Conclusions: Our data suggest that MBSR may be a clinically significant resource in reducing the degree of bother and distress women experience from hot flashes and night sweats. The results of this study suggest that a mindfulness training program may be a clinically significant resource in reducing the degree of bother that women experience from hot flashes and night sweats. Clinically significant improvements were also found in quality of life, subjective sleep quality, anxiety, and perceived stress and were maintained for 3 months after intervention.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 25
- Home practice in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction: A systematic review and meta-analysis of participants' mindfulness practice and its association with outcomes Behaviour Research and Therapy May 10, 2017
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, and Zen Meditation for Depression, Anxiety, Pain, and Psychological Distress Journal of Psychiatric Practice July 1, 2012
- Prospects for a clinical science of mindfulness-based intervention. American Psychologist October 1, 2015
- Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Physical Conditions: A Narrative Review Evaluating Levels of Evidence ISRN Psychiatry November 14, 2012
- A Pilot Study of the Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms and Brain Response to Traumatic Reminders of Combat in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom Combat Veterans with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Frontiers in Psychiatry August 25, 2017
and 20 more in the library
Cites 8
- Mindfulness Meditation, Anxiety Reduction, and Heart Disease Family & Community Health 2003
- Three-Year Follow-up and Clinical Implications of a Mindfulness Meditation-Based Stress Reduction Intervention in the Treatment of Anxiety Disorders International Journal of Yoga Therapy 1998
- The Effect of Mindfulness-Based Therapy on Anxiety and Depression: A Meta-Analytic Review Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology April 1, 2010
- Relationships between mindfulness practice and levels of mindfulness, medical and psychological symptoms and well-being in a mindfulness-based stress reduction program. Journal of Behavioral Medicine February 2008
- A pilot study of mindfulness-based stress reduction for hot flashes. Menopause 2006
and 3 more in the library