Yogic meditation improves objective and subjective sleep quality of healthcare professionals


Author: Priscilla Caetano Guerra1, Danilo F Santaella2, Vania D'Almeida3, Rogerio Santos-Silva3, Sergio Tufik3, Claudio Arnaldo Len4

Affiliation: <sup>1</sup> Pediatric Rheumatology Unit, Department of Paediatrics, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), Rua Borges Lagoa 802, CEP 04038-001, São Paulo, Brazil.

<sup>2</sup> Sports Center, University of São Paulo (CEPEUSP), Rua Rio Doce 27, CEP 06350-030, Brazil.

<sup>3</sup> Department of Psychobiology, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), Rua Napoleão de Barros 925, 3rd, Floor, CEP 04024-002, São Paulo, Brazil.

<sup>4</sup> Pediatric Rheumatology Unit, Department of Paediatrics, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), Rua Borges Lagoa 802, CEP 04038-001, São Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address: claudiolen@gmail.com.
Conference/Journal: Complement Ther Clin Pract
Date published: 2020 Aug 1
Other:
 Volume ID: 40   ,  Pages: 101204   ,  Special Notes: doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2020.101204.   ,  Word Count: 186  
    Objective:

Our aim was to evaluate the impact of yogic meditation in sleep quality of healthy pediatric healthcare professionals.



Method:

Subjects 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.



Results:

The 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.



Conclusion:

Yogic meditation may be used as an integrative health tool to foster improvements in the health-related aspects of healthcare professionals' lives.



Trial registration:

CinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02947074; trial registry name: Meditation Practice in Pediatric Healthcare Professionals: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.



Keywords: Health professionals; Meditation; Polysomnography; Sleep; Yoga; Yogic meditation.



PMID: 32891281 DOI: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2020.101204