The Effectiveness of the Headspace App for Improving Sleep: Randomized Controlled Trial.
Zoltan Andre Torok, Larisa Gavrilova, Amish Patel, Matthew Jason Zawadzki
Journal of Medical Internet Research February 4, 2026 DOI: 10.2196/56287 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 135 |
| Population | University staff employees in California's San Joaquin Valley (mean age 38.1 years; 75.0% female; 59.3% non-Hispanic White; 27.1% Hispanic) |
| Dose | 10 minutes of daily meditation |
| Duration | 8-week intervention, with 4-day assessment bursts at baseline and 2, 5, and 8 weeks after randomization |
| Measures | Sleep diary, ecological momentary assessment, Fitbit Charge 2 |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Humans Fatigue Adult Middle aged Female Mobile applications Sleep quality Sleep duration Women Tiredness Randomized controlled trial United states Subjective Objective Outcome Rct Wearable Ecological momentary assessment Mhealth Mobile health Headspace Sleep efficiency Fitbit Self-guided App-based |
| Key findings | Compared with waitlist controls, Headspace users reported better sleep quality at weeks 2, 5, and 8 and less tiredness at week 5 but not weeks 2 or 8. Objective sleep duration was longer at week 5 only, and there were no significant effects on sleep efficiency. The authors conclude the app can positively impact sleep quality, tiredness, and duration. |
Abstract
Background: Improving sleep is critical for optimizing short-term and long-term health. Although in-person meditation training has been shown to impact sleep positively, there is a gap in our understanding of whether apps that teach self-guided meditation are also effective.
Objective: This study aims to test whether Headspace (Headspace, Inc) improves sleep quality, tiredness, sleep duration, and sleep efficiency.
Methods: Staff employees (N=135; mean age 38.1, SD 10.9; 75.0% female; 59.3% non-Hispanic White; 27.1% Hispanic) from a university in California's San Joaquin Valley participated in the study. Participants were randomized to complete 10 minutes of daily meditation via the Headspace app for 8 weeks or waitlist control. Sleep assessments were taken for 4 consecutive days at baseline, and then for 4-day bursts at 2, 5, and 8 weeks after randomization. Sleep quality and subjective sleep duration were assessed each morning with a sleep diary, tiredness was assessed throughout the day using ecological momentary assessment, and objective sleep duration and efficiency were measured using a Fitbit Charge 2.
Results: Both subjective and objective sleep outcomes improved. For subjective sleep outcomes, multilevel modeling revealed that those in the Headspace condition, compared to the control group, reported better sleep quality at sessions 2 (β=0.48, SE=0.12; P<.001), 5 (β=0.91, SE=0.13; P<.001), and 8 (β=0.69, SE=0.15; P<.001) compared to baseline, and a decrease in tiredness at session 5 (β=-0.58, SE=0.19; P=.001) compared to baseline, but not at sessions 2 or 8. For objective sleep outcomes, those in the Headspace condition compared to the control group had longer sleep durations at session 5 (β=23.96, SE=12.19; P=.04) compared to baseline, but not at sessions 2 or 8. There were no significant effects for sleep efficiency.
Conclusions: This study continues adding to the ever-developing field of mobile health apps by demonstrating that Headspace can positively impact sleep quality, tiredness, and duration.
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
Cites 22
- Mechanisms of mindfulness Journal of Clinical Psychology December 29, 2005
- What Do We Really Know About Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction? Psychosomatic Medicine 2002
- 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
- Mindfulness on-the-go: Effects of a mindfulness meditation app on work stress and well-being. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology May 3, 2018
- Effects of Meditation Experience on Functional Connectivity of Distributed Brain Networks Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
and 17 more in the library