0862 Effect of meditation and relaxation on physiological markers of stress and sleep
A. Pal, Anurag Agrawal, D. Ghahremani, P. Macey
Sleep May 1, 2023 DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsad077.0862 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study with within-subject pre-post comparisons Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 20 |
| Population | 20 adults, 15 peri- and post-menopausal females, 13 at high risk of sleep apnea |
| Interventions | Ujjayi pranayama relaxation |
| Duration | 10 minutes rest, 10 minutes relaxation, 10 minutes Ujjayi pranayama; sleep measured the following night |
| Measures | Berlin questionnaire, Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Generalized Anxiety (GAD-7), Early Trauma Inventory Self-Report Short Form (ETISR-SF), Dreem3 headband, plethysmography |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Early-life physical trauma correlated positively with breathing rate during REM sleep (Pearson R=0.68). Both relaxation and Ujjayi pranayama significantly lowered heart rate (by 4.5% and 1.5%) and breathing rate (by 15% and 20%), and pranayama increased oxygen saturation by 0.3%. Deep sleep increased by 5% on the night after the session. The authors propose that regular mind-body practice may improve deep sleep in peri- and post-menopausal women with early-life physical abuse trauma. |
Abstract
Both breathing based meditation (interoceptive) and relaxation by improving blood circulation using heat and massage (exteroceptive) are known to reduce physiological stress. In this study, we determined the effect of stress-reduction on sleep. Our main population of interest was peri- and post- menopausal women who may develop sleep disorders correlated with early-life physical abuse. 20 adults (15 peri- and post-menopausal females), 13 with high risk of sleep apnea (determined by Berlin questionnaire, age mean±SEM, 54±3 years, waist-by-neck 2.6±0.07, BMI 26±1 kg/m2, Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) Scale 5.71±1.23, Generalized Anxiety (GAD-7) Score 5.33±1.22, Early Trauma Inventory Self-Report Short Form (ETISR-SF)physical 3±0.17. Dreem3 headband was used to get breathing rate (BR), sleep efficiency, sleep staging. Plethysmography was used to obtain mean and nadir oxygen saturation %, heart rate (HR), oxygen desaturation (4%) event index (ODI). BMI, age, waist/neck were recorded. Baseline sleep measures were compared against sleep after administration of 10 minutes rest, 10 minutes relaxation and 10 minutes of Ujjayi pranayama with repeats of 4 in-, 4 hold-, 6 out- breaths. ETISR-physical was correlated with all measures. Paired t-tests were conducted on sleep measures at baseline and after meditation/relaxation. One-sample t-tests were conducted on average % changes during meditation/relaxation compared to rest. Early-life physical trauma correlated positively with BR during REM sleep (Pearson R= 0.68). Deep sleep significantly (p=0.04) increased by 5% on the sleep after meditation/relaxation. Both meditation and relaxation techniques significantly (p< 0.01) lowered HR by 1.5% and 4.5%, and BR by 20% and 15% respectively during Ujjayi pranayama and relaxation. We observed significant increase (p< 0.05) in oxygen saturation with the Ujjayi pranayama by 0.3%. Early-life physical abuse was correlated with faster breathing during REM sleep validating existing literature. Both HR and BR were reduced during meditation and relaxation techniques, thus validating their stress-reduction effects. % of deep sleep improved on the night when meditation/relaxation session was administered. Mind-body practices could improve deep sleep if practiced regularly even in peri- and post-menopausal women having early-life physical abuse trauma. Sleep Research Society (SRS) Small Research Grant 2022.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |