Sleep, Cognition, and Yoga.
Usha Panjwani, Sharmila Dudani, Meetu Wadhwa
International Journal of Yoga May 10, 2021 DOI: 10.4103/ijoy.ijoy_110_20 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Interventions | Yoga Meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Cognition Sleep Brain function |
| Key findings | The authors conclude that yoga practice optimizes sleep and cognitive function, reporting positive effects in healthy adults and in patients with some neurological diseases. They attribute these effects to changes in autonomic function, brain structure, metabolism, neurochemistry, and functional brain network connectivity, while noting that well-controlled published studies in this area are limited. |
Abstract
Stress is one of the major problems globally, associated with poor sleep quality and cognitive dysfunction. Modern society is plagued by sleep disturbances, either due to professional demands or lifestyle or both the aspects, often leading to reduced alertness and compromised mental function, besides the well documented ill effects of disturbed sleep on physiological functions. This pertinent issue needs to be addressed. Yoga is an ancient Indian science, philosophy and way of life. Recently, yoga practice has become increasingly popular worldwide. Yoga practice is an adjunct effective for stress, sleep and associated disorders. There are limited well controlled published studies conducted in this area. We reviewed the available literature including the effect of modern lifestyle in children, adolescents, adults and geriatric population. The role of yoga and meditation in optimizing sleep architecture and cognitive functions leading to optimal brain functioning in normal and diseased state is discussed. We included articles published in English with no fixed time duration for literature search. Literature was searched mainly by using PubMed and Science Direct search engines and critically examined. Studies have revealed positive effects of yoga on sleep and cognitive skills among healthy adults as well as patients of some neurological diseases. Further, on evaluating the published studies, it is concluded that sleep and cognitive functions are optimized by yoga practice, which brings about changes in autonomic function, structural changes, changes in metabolism, neurochemistry and improved functional brain network connectivity in key regions of the brain.
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
Cited by 2
- Cyclic Meditation and Sleep Quality: A Review. Sleep Science December 1, 2024
- Effect of 4-day Online Breath Meditation Workshop on Ballistocardiography-based Sleep and Cardiac Health Assessments among Medical Professionals of a Tertiary Care Hospital in North India during COVID-19. Journal of the Association of Physicians of India September 1, 2022
Cites 11
- 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
- Why could meditation practice help promote mental health and well-being in aging? Alzheimer's Research & Therapy June 22, 2018
- Meditation is associated with increased brain network integration. Neuroimage September 1, 2017
- Greater Anteroposterior Default Mode Network Functional Connectivity in Long-Term Elderly Yoga Practitioners Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience July 2, 2019
- Hippocampal circuits underlie improvements in self‐reported anxiety following mindfulness training Brain and Behavior September 18, 2020
and 6 more in the library