Effects of an 18-month meditation training on subjective and objective sleep quality in older adults: a secondary analysis of the Age-Well randomized controlled trial
Pierre Champetier, Anaïs Hamel, Stéphane Rehel, Françoise Bertran, Oriane Hébert, Marion Delarue, Gaël Chételat, A Antoine Lutz, Alison Mary, Géraldine Rauchs
medRxiv October 2, 2026 preprint DOI: 10.64898/2026.09.30.26364409 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 120 |
| Population | Cognitively unimpaired older adults aged 65 years or older with minimal sleep complaints |
| Interventions | Meditation training Non-native language training |
| Duration | 18-month intervention; assessments at baseline and 18 months later |
| Measures | Sleep questionnaires, actigraphy, in-home polysomnography |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Compared with the passive control group only, 18 months of meditation training was associated with greater ease of morning awakening (p=0.04). No significant effects were observed for any other sleep parameter, including actigraphy- and polysomnography-derived measures, and findings were unchanged after adjustment for depressive symptoms and trait anxiety. |
Abstract
Abstract Study objectives Aging is associated with increased sleep complaints and changes in sleep architecture, microstructure and rest-activity rhythms. Meditation-based interventions have shown benefits on subjective sleep quality, but their effects on objective sleep parameters remain largely underexplored. This study investigated the effects of an 18-month meditation intervention on sleep combining subjective (questionnaires) and objective (polysomnography and actigraphy) measures in older adults.
Methods: A total of 120 cognitively unimpaired older adults (≥65 y) with minimal sleep complaint completed questionnaires, one week of actigraphy and in-home polysomnography at baseline, and again 18 months later. Following the baseline visit, participants were randomly assigned to one of 3 groups: meditation training, non-native language training (active control), or passive control. Group-by-visit interactions were examined using mixed-effects models for sleep questionnaires, actigraphy-derived metrics, sleep architecture and microstructure, including slow waves, spindles, and spectral power.
Results: Compared to the passive control group only, meditation training was associated with greater ease of morning awakening (p=0.04). No significant intervention effects were observed for any other sleep parameter, including actigraphy- and polysomnography-derived measures. These findings remained unchanged after adjustment for depressive symptoms and trait anxiety.
Conclusion: In cognitively unimpaired older adults, this 18-month meditation intervention yielded only limited improvements in subjective sleep assessment. Meditation may therefore have subtle effects on self-reported sleep quality in this healthy older population, although no effects on objective sleep measures were detected. Future studies should examine whether adapting the content, intensity, or timing of meditation practice and enrolling populations with clinically meaningful sleep disturbances or psychoaffective symptoms may yield greater benefits. Statement of significance Sleep quality is impaired with age and may contribute to cognitive decline. This randomized controlled trial is the first to assess the effects of an 18-month meditation intervention on both subjective and objective sleep parameters in cognitively unimpaired older adults, compared with active and passive control groups. Meditation improved perceived ease of morning awakening compared to the passive control group, but no other group differences were observed. These findings suggest that meditation, an accessible and low-cost intervention, may modestly improve some aspects of self-reported sleep quality, while having limited effects on objective sleep measures in older adults without sleep complaints. Studies evaluating the effects of meditation on objective sleep measures in more diverse and clinically affected populations are needed. Graphical abstract
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 |