Meditation and Sleep Quality

Meditation and Sleep Quality refers to research on how contemplative practices affect sleep architecture, latency, and subjective sleep quality.

Summary

Studies examine meditation as an intervention for insomnia, sleep disturbance in clinical populations, and general sleep quality in healthy adults.

Key Findings

Mindfulness meditation programs show moderate improvements in sleep quality on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Yoga Nidra and body-scan techniques reduce sleep onset latency. Effects are comparable to sleep hygiene education and modest compared to cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). Meditation reduces pre-sleep cognitive arousal.

Methodology

RCTs typically run 6–8 weeks with self-report sleep diaries and actigraphy. Polysomnography is used in smaller laboratory studies. Controls include sleep hygiene education, relaxation training, and waitlist.

Limitations

Self-report bias is significant. Active controls (CBT-I) often outperform meditation. Long-term adherence data are sparse.

Verification Notes

• Meta-analyses by Rusch et al. (2019) and Wang et al. (2020) inform conclusions.
• Reviewed through 2020s literature.