The impact of guided meditations and mindfulness on blood pressure regulation: analyzing the physiological impact of mental health techniques on cardiac biomarkers.
Gayathri Gururamalingam, Taruna Ramnath, Namita Ruhela, Rohit Jain
Cogent Mental Health July 22, 2025 DOI: 10.1080/28324765.2025.2535718 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Guided meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Hypertension Mental health Heart rate variability Mindfulness based interventions Guided meditation |
| Key findings | The authors argue that mindfulness and guided meditation may serve as promising, non-pharmacological complements to traditional hypertension and cardiovascular disease treatments, potentially aiding blood pressure regulation and cardiac biomarkers including heart rate variability, cortisol, and inflammatory markers. They caution that further research is needed to strengthen these conclusions. |
Abstract
Hypertension is a significant preventable risk factor for cardiovascular disease and overall mortality globally, affecting 31.1% of the adult population in 2010. The prevalence of hypertension is rising due to aging and lifestyle factors such as poor diets and insufficient physical activity. Conventional therapy modalities often encompass physical or pharmacological measures; nevertheless, the mental practice of meditation has been employed for centuries to reduce cardiovascular risk. However, the scientific revitalization of this technique has previously prompted doubts over its legitimacy. This paper examines the effects of guided meditations and mindfulness techniques on blood pressure regulation and their potential to enhance cardiac biomarkers, including heart rate variability, cortisol levels, and inflammatory markers, through a review of existing literature and empirical studies. The findings suggest that mindfulness and guided meditation may serve as promising, non-pharmacological complements to traditional hypertension and cardiovascular disease treatments, though further research is needed to strengthen these conclusions.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical populations | 2003 | Review | |
| Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects | 2007 | Review | |
| Mindfulness Interventions | 2016 | Review | |
| Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation | 2017 | Review | |
| Mindfulness and acceptance: expanding the cognitive-behavioral tradition | 2005 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cites 5
- Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on Blood Pressure, Mental Health, and Quality of Life in Hypertensive Adult Women: A Randomized Clinical Trial Study. The journal of Tehran Heart Center July 1, 2022
- Effect of mindfulness-based stress reduction in patients with acute myocardial infarction after successful primary percutaneous coronary intervention: a retrospective study. BMC cardiovascular disorders June 23, 2023
- Yoga, Meditation, Breathing Exercises, and Inflammatory Biomarkers with Possible Implications in COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine October 7, 2022
- Individual differences in meditation interventions: A meta‐analytic study British Journal of Health Psychology February 27, 2022
- The Effects of Mindfulness and Meditation on Vagally Mediated Heart Rate Variability: A Meta-Analysis. Psychosomatic Medicine July 1, 2021