Acute effects of transcendental meditation on hemodynamic functioning in middle-aged adults.
Vernon A Barnes, Frank A Treiber, J R Turner, H Davis, W B Strong
Psychosomatic Medicine 1999 DOI: 10.1097/00006842-199907000-00017 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 32 |
| Population | Healthy adults (16 women, 16 men; 30 white, 2 African American; mean age 46.4 years), comprising long-term TM practitioners and controls |
| Intervention | Transcendental Meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | During eyes-open rest, the TM group decreased systolic blood pressure by 2.5 mm Hg and TPR by 0.7 mm Hg/L/min, while controls increased by 2.4 mm Hg and 0.5 mm Hg/L/min. During TM, systolic blood pressure fell 3.0 mm Hg and TPR fell 1.0 mm Hg/L/min, versus increases of 2.1 mm Hg and 0.3 mm Hg/L/min in controls during eyes-closed relaxation. The authors propose that reduced vasoconstrictive tone during TM may explain its blood pressure-lowering effects over time. |
Abstract
Increased peripheral vasoconstriction (ie, total peripheral resistance, or TPR) has been implicated as playing an important role in the early development of essential hypertension. Some studies have demonstrated that Transcendental Meditation (TM) reduces high blood pressure, but the hemodynamic adjustments behind these blood pressure reductions have not been elucidated. The aim of this study was to provide a preliminary investigation of the acute effects of TM on TPR. Subjects were 32 healthy adults (16 women and 16 men; 30 white and two African American; mean age, 46.4 +/- 3.9 years). Subjects were divided into a TM group of long-term TM practitioners (eight white women, nine white men, and one African American man; mean years of twice-daily TM practice, 22.4 +/- 6.7) and a control group (eight white women, five white men, and one African American man). Hemodynamic functioning was assessed immediately before and during three conditions: 20 minutes of rest with eyes open (all subjects), 20 minutes of TM (TM group), and 20 minutes of eyes-closed relaxation (control group). During eyes-open rest, the TM group had decreases in systolic blood pressure (SBP) and TPR, compared with increases in the control group (SBP: -2.5 vs. +2.4 mm Hg, p < .01; TPR: -0.7 vs. +0.5 mm Hg/liter per minute, p < .004). During TM, there was a greater decrease in SBP due to a concomitantly greater decrease in TPR compared with the control group during eyes-closed relaxation (SBP: -3.0 vs. +2.1 mm Hg, p < .04; TPR: -1.0 vs. +0.3 mm Hg/liter per minute, p < .03). TPR decreased significantly during TM. Decreases in vasoconstrictive tone during TM may be the hemodynamic mechanism responsible for reduction of high blood pressure over time. The results of this study provide a preliminary contribution to the understanding of the underlying hemodynamic mechanisms responsible for the beneficial influence of TM on cardiovascular risk factors.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cited by 24
- Short-term autonomic and cardiovascular effects of mindfulness body scan meditation Annals of Behavioral Medicine November 15, 2006
- Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease in Adolescents and Adults through the Transcendental Meditation® Program: A Research Review Update Current Hypertension Reviews October 1, 2012
- Meditation Experiences, Self, and Boundaries of Consciousness International Journal of Complementary & Alternative Medicine 2016
- Conceptual Advances in the Default Space Model of Consciousness World Journal of Neuroscience 2018
- Relationships Among Stress, Blood Pressure, and Heart Rate Variability in Meditators VCU Scholars Compass 2006
and 19 more in the library
Cites 7
- Transcendental Meditation, mindfulness, and longevity: An experimental study with the elderly. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 1989
- Stress Reduction and Preventing Hypertension: Preliminary Support for a Psychoneuroendocrine Mechanism The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine June 1, 1995
- Autonomic patterns during respiratory suspensions: possible markers of Transcendental Consciousness. Psychophysiology January 1997
- Serum hormonal concentrations following transcendental meditation--potential role of gamma aminobutyric acid. Medical Hypotheses April 1, 1995
- The physiology of meditation: a review. A wakeful hypometabolic integrated response. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 1992
and 2 more in the library