A Systematic Review of Associations between Amount of Meditation Practice and Outcomes in Interventions Using the Four Immeasurables Meditations

Zeng, Xianglong; Chio, Floria H. N.; Oei, Tian P. S.; Leung, Freedom; Liu, Xiangping

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00141

Cited by 26 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 40 publications

(122 reference statements)

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“…Participants are likely becoming more mindful and reap the benefits associated with mindfulness [35,36]. Present literature on the amount of meditation practice needed to observe changes in a range of health outcomes is varied and limited [37]. However, there is promising evidence for greater effects on health, stress, and sleep as time spent (eg duration, frequency) increases [37,38].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Present literature on the amount of meditation practice needed to observe changes in a range of health outcomes is varied and limited [37]. However, there is promising evidence for greater effects on health, stress, and sleep as time spent (eg duration, frequency) increases [37,38]. This information is important because regardless of the component (ie, general use of Calm, specifically meditation, and specifically Sleep Stories), participants who used the app more frequently clearly noticed changes in their health.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Characteristics and Usage Patterns Among 12,151 Paid Subscribers of the Calm Meditation App: Cross-Sectional Survey

Huberty¹,

Vranceanu²,

Carney³

et al. 2019

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth

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BackgroundMeditation has become increasingly popular due to its health benefits; however, barriers to delivering meditation programs in traditional group-based formats limit the accessibility of these benefits. Smartphone-based meditation may increase the availability of these programs to larger, more diverse audiences; however, research on subscriber characteristics and usage patterns in meditation mobile apps is lacking.ObjectiveThis study aimed to describe the demographics, clinical characteristics, and usage patterns of a convenience sample of Calm subscribers and explore the relationship between self-reported app usage and changes in health, stress, and sleep.MethodsParticipants were 12,151 paying Calm subscribers (response rate=12.08%, 12,151/100,594) who completed an anonymous Web-based survey with 11 quantitative questions related to user engagement, reasons for starting Calm, and changes after using the app. Demographic characteristics, chronic health diagnoses, and sleep difficulties were also assessed. Chi-square tests were used to examine differences in app usage. Logistic regression models were used to examine demographic and health characteristics that may predict changes in health, stress, and sleep.ResultsRespondents were 18-96 years old (mean 48.57 [SD 13.79]), primarily female (79.94%, 8778/10,981), white (81.41%, 8959/11,005), and most reported a chronic health diagnosis (56.86%, 6289/11,061). Mental health diagnoses (41.13%, 4549/11,061) were more common than physical health diagnoses (32.19%, 3560/11,061). Most respondents (76.31%, 8684/11,360) reported difficulties falling or staying asleep. On average, respondents had been using Calm for 11.49 months (SD 10.49), and 60.03% (7281/12,129) used it 5 or more times per week. Meditations (used by 80.02%, 9497/11,841) and Sleep Stories (55.66%, 6591/11,841) were the most popular components. The frequency of using Calm was associated with incremental increases in the likelihood of noticing changes in mental health (χ22=136.8; P<.001), physical health (χ22=102.8; P<.001), stress (χ22=128.1; P<.001), and sleep (χ22=141.4; P<.001). Respondents who had used Calm longer were also more likely to notice changes in mental health (OR 1.06 [95% CI 1.05 to 1.06]), physical health (OR 1.01 [95% CI 1.01 to 1.02]), stress (OR 1.04 [95% CI 1.04 to 1.05]), and sleep (OR 1.004 [95% CI 1.00 to 1.01]). Subscribers with sleep difficulties used Calm more frequently (χ82=11.5; P=.003), were more likely to use Sleep Stories (χ12=1590.2; P<.001), and were more likely to notice changes in their physical health (χ12=49.2; P<.001) and sleep (χ12=2391.1; P<.001).ConclusionsResults highlight important demographic characteristics and usage patterns among a self-selected sample of Calm subscribers. Mental health concerns and sleep appear to be top reasons for downloading Calm. Sleep Stories and meditations are the most popular app components. The frequency of using Calm was associated with incremental changes in outcomes. Findings support future randomized controlled trials testi...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characteristics and Usage Patterns Among 12,151 Paid Subscribers of the Calm Meditation App: Cross-Sectional Survey

Huberty¹,

Vranceanu²,

Carney³

et al. 2019

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Even though these practices are of great interest to the scientific and medical communities within the field of CWP research and management, objective measures to best assess their beneficial outcomes are lacking (Desbordes et al, 2014). Current findings on the effects of meditation practice are few and inconsistent for various chronic pain conditions— studies suffer from inconsistencies within intervention deliverability and type while other’s show relatively few associations between outcome variables and the amount of meditation practice (Zeng et al, 2017). Previous theories which include the neurovisceral integration model, the polyvagal theory, the biological behavioral model, the RF model, and the psychophysiological coherence model provide important insights in regards to how vagal tone is important to consider when optimizing psychophysiological health.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most researchers hold the assumption that meditation practice has its effects in a cumulative way through long-term practice. However, current research (Zeng et al, 2017) shows that short-term influences of meditation practice have a more promising effect upon clinical outcomes and that continual meditation practice may not be necessary for maintaining effects (Cohn and Fredrickson, 2010). Therefore, this study will employ a 2-week meditation intervention where both short-term (i.e., daily) and long-term changes (i.e., changes in pre- to post-intervention measures) of self-reported pain and HRV effect patterns will be analyzed in accordance with the three R procedure: resting (i.e., pre-intervention), reactivity (i.e., tVNS/MNRB treatment), and recovery (i.e., post-intervention) (Stein and Pu, 2012).…”

Section: Motivational Non-directive Resonance Breathing: From Theory mentioning

confidence: 99%

Motivational Non-directive Resonance Breathing as a Treatment for Chronic Widespread Pain

Paccione

Jacobsen

2019

Front. Psychol.

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Chronic widespread pain (CWP) is one of the most difficult pain conditions to treat due to an unknown etiology and a lack of innovative treatment design and effectiveness. Based upon preliminary findings within the fields of motivational psychology, integrative neuroscience, diaphragmatic breathing, and vagal nerve stimulation, we propose a new treatment intervention, motivational non-directive (ND) resonance breathing, as a means of reducing pain and suffering in patients with CWP. Motivational ND resonance breathing provides patients with a noninvasive means of potentially modulating five psychophysiological mechanisms imperative for endogenously treating pain and increasing overall quality of life.

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“…Most researchers have traditionally assumed that meditation practice has its effects in a cumulative way through long-term practice. However, current research [ 118 ] shows that short-term influences of meditation practice have a more promising effect upon clinical outcomes. Continual meditation practice may not be necessary for maintaining beneficial psychophysiological effects [ 119 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Motivational nondirective resonance breathing versus transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation in the treatment of fibromyalgia: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Paccione

Diep²,

Stubhaug

et al. 2020

Trials

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Background Chronic widespread pain (CWP), including fibromyalgia (FM), affects one in every ten adults and is one of the leading causes of sick leave and emotional distress. Due to an unclear etiology and a complex pathophysiology, FM is a condition with few, if any, effective and safe treatments. However, current research within the field of vagal nerve innervation suggests psychophysiological and electrical means by which FM may be treated. This study will investigate the efficacy of two different noninvasive vagal nerve stimulation techniques for the treatment of FM. Methods The study will use a randomized, single-blind, sham-controlled design to investigate the treatment efficacy of motivational nondirective resonance breathing (MNRB™) and transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (Nemos® tVNS) on patients diagnosed with FM. Consenting FM patients (N = 112) who are referred to the Department of Pain Management and Research at Oslo University Hospital, in Oslo, Norway, will be randomized into one of four independent groups. Half of these participants (N = 56) will be randomized to either an experimental tVNS group or a sham tVNS group. The other half (N = 56) will be randomized to either an experimental MNRB group or a sham MNRB group. Both active and sham treatment interventions will be delivered twice per day at home, 15 min/morning and 15 min/evening, for a total duration of 2 weeks (14 days). Participants are invited to the clinic twice, once for pre- and once for post-intervention data collection. The primary outcome is changes in photoplethysmography-measured heart rate variability. Secondary outcomes include self-reported pain intensity on a numeric rating scale, changes in pain detection threshold, pain tolerance threshold, and pressure pain limit determined by computerized pressure cuff algometry, blood pressure, and health-related quality of life. Discussion The described randomized controlled trial aims to compare the efficacy of two vagal nerve innervation interventions, MNRB and tVNS, on heart rate variability and pain intensity in patients suffering from FM. This project tests a new and potentially effective means of treating a major public and global health concern where prevalence is high, disability is severe, and treatment options are limited. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.govNCT03180554. Registered on August 06, 2017.

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A Systematic Review of Associations between Amount of Meditation Practice and Outcomes in Interventions Using the Four Immeasurables Meditations

Cited by 26 publications

References 40 publications

Characteristics and Usage Patterns Among 12,151 Paid Subscribers of the Calm Meditation App: Cross-Sectional Survey

Characteristics and Usage Patterns Among 12,151 Paid Subscribers of the Calm Meditation App: Cross-Sectional Survey

Motivational Non-directive Resonance Breathing as a Treatment for Chronic Widespread Pain

Motivational nondirective resonance breathing versus transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation in the treatment of fibromyalgia: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

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