Yogic meditation improves objective and subjective sleep quality of healthcare professionals

Abstract

ObjectiveOur aim was to evaluate the impact of yogic meditation in sleep quality of healthy pediatric healthcare professionals. MethodSubjects were randomized into a meditation group (MG, n = 32), who attended a yogic meditation class held for eight weeks, or a control group (CG, n = 32). Polysomnography (PSG) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores were determined at baseline and after eight weeks. ResultsThe PSQI overall score was lower (p = 0.024) in the MG. Reported sleep latency (p = 0.046) and MG sleep latency (p = 0.028) were lower in the MG at eight weeks. PSG showed a time effect (p = 0.020) on decreasing minutes of wake after sleep onset in the MG. There were strong and significant correlations between PSG and PSQI variables. There was a significant time effect on heart rate (p = 0.001) in the MG. ConclusionYogic meditation may be used as an integrative health tool to foster improvements in the health-related aspects of healthcare professionals' lives. Trial registrationCinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02947074; trial registry name: Meditation Practice in Pediatric Healthcare Professionals: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.