Mindfulness-Based Intervention Does Not Influence Cardiac Autonomic Control or the Pattern of Physical Activity in Fibromyalgia During Daily Life: An Ambulatory, Multimeasure Randomized Controlled Trial.
Paul Grossman, Gunnar Deuring, Harald Walach, Barbara Schwarzer, Stefan Schmidt
Clinical Journal of Pain May 2017 DOI: 10.1097/ajp.0000000000000420 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 168 |
| Population | Women with fibromyalgia, compared with an age-matched group of 33 healthy women |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) |
| Duration | 8-week intervention, with 8-week follow-up |
| Measures | Activity heart rate, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, ventilation, ambulatory accelerometry |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | MBSR did not improve cardiac autonomic function or daily physical activity in women with fibromyalgia, and patient-reported improvements in wellbeing were not associated with objective physiological or accelerometry changes. Patients differed from healthy controls in cardiac autonomic tone and activity patterns. |
Abstract
Fibromyalgia (FM) is a syndrome characterized by severe pain, fatigue and sleep disturbance. There is evidence of central hyper-responsiveness to sensory stimulation and impaired cardiovascular autonomic control. Laboratory investigations suggest that mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) may improve autonomic functioning in FM. However, these findings may not reflect what occurs during naturalistic conditions, and MBSR studies during real-life functioning are lacking. We conducted a randomized controlled, 3-armed study with 168 female FM patients. This report describes cardiac, respiratory, and physical activity findings. Eight-week MBSR was compared with wait-list and active control intervention. Ambulatory accelerometry and cardiorespiratory function were monitored over 24-h periods at 3 time points: preintervention, postintervention, and at the 8-week follow-up. Also, baseline levels were compared with an age-matched group of 33 healthy women. Activity heart rate, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, and ventilation were measured. Comparison with controls confirmed differences in cardiac autonomic tone and activity pattern among patients. Most measures also showed effects of time of day and point of measurement. Regarding the intervention study, there were no effects of treatment. In addition, there were no relations between patient-reported clinical improvement and objective physiological or accelerometry parameters. Intervention-related benefits in wellbeing were not associated with changes in daytime cardiorespiratory measures or pattern of physical activity. MBSR did not produce cardiac autonomic benefits or changes in daily activity in FM. Furthermore, the lack of an association between patient-experienced clinical improvement and objective physiological measures suggests that subjective changes in the wellbeing of FM patients over time are not related to alterations in the cardiorespiratory autonomic function or activity levels.
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 15
- Research in Mindfulness Interventions for Patients With Fibromyalgia: A Critical Review. Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience July 28, 2022
- Mind-body therapy for treating fibromyalgia: a systematic review. Pain Medicine August 2, 2024
- Effects of mindfulness breathing meditation on stress and cognitive functions: a heart rate variability and eye-tracking study Scientific Reports October 24, 2025
- The Impact of Mindfulness-Based Interventions on Objective Physiological Measures of Autonomic Function for Individuals With Medical Conditions: A Review of the Evidence. Psychosomatic Medicine 2024
- Recalibrating Pain–Mood Coupling in Fibromyalgia: A Hypothesis-Generating Multisystem Neurobehavioral Framework for Mindfulness-Based Interventions Anesthesia Research September 13, 2026
and 10 more in the library
Cites 10
- Short-term autonomic and cardiovascular effects of mindfulness body scan meditation Annals of Behavioral Medicine November 15, 2006
- Quantitative change of EEG and respiration signals during mindfulness meditation Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation May 14, 2014
- Mindfulness meditation, well-being, and heart rate variability: a preliminary investigation into the impact of intensive Vipassana meditation. International Journal of Psychophysiology September 1, 2013
- Treating fibromyalgia with mindfulness-based stress reduction: results from a 3-armed randomized controlled trial. Pain February 2011
- Treating chronic worry: Psychological and physiological effects of a training programme based on mindfulness. Behaviour Research and Therapy June 11, 2010
and 5 more in the library