Mindfulness meditation, well-being, and heart rate variability: A preliminary investigation into the impact of intensive Vipassana meditation

• Published in: International journal of psychophysiology Vol. 89; no. 3; pp. 305 - 313
• Main Authors: Krygier, Jonathan R., Heathers, James A.J., Shahrestani, Sara, Abbott, Maree, Gross, James J., Kemp, Andrew H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.09.2013
• Subjects: Adult; Analysis of Variance; Attention; Female; Heart Rate - physiology; Heart rate variability; Humans; Male; Meditation; Middle Aged; Mindfulness; Personal Satisfaction; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Respiratory Rate - physiology; Respiratory sinus arrhythmia; Surveys and Questionnaires; Time Factors; Traube–Hering–Mayer waves; Vipassana; Well-being; Vipassana; Well-being; Meditation; Traube–Hering–Mayer waves; Mindfulness; Heart rate variability; Respiratory sinus arrhythmia
• ISSN: 0167-8760; 1872-7697
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2013.06.017

Mindfulness meditation has beneficial effects on brain and body, yet the impact of Vipassana, a type of mindfulness meditation, on heart rate variability (HRV) – a psychophysiological marker of mental and physical health – is unknown. We hypothesised increases in measures of well-being and HRV, and decreases in ill-being after training in Vipassana compared to before (time effects), during the meditation task compared to resting baseline (task effects), and a time by task interaction with more pronounced differences between tasks after Vipassana training. HRV (5-minute resting baseline vs. 5-minute meditation) was collected from 36 participants before and after they completed a 10-day intensive Vipassana retreat. Changes in three frequency-domain measures of HRV were analysed using 2 (Time; pre- vs. post-Vipassana)×2 (Task; resting baseline vs. meditation) within subjects ANOVA. These measures were: normalised high-frequency power (HF n.u.), a widely used biomarker of parasympathetic activity; log-transformed high frequency power (ln HF), a measure of RSA and required to interpret normalised HF; and Traube–Hering–Mayer waves (THM), a component of the low frequency spectrum linked to baroreflex outflow. As expected, participants showed significantly increased well-being, and decreased ill-being. ln HF increased overall during meditation compared to resting baseline, while there was a time∗task interaction for THM. Further testing revealed that pre-Vipassana only ln HF increased during meditation (vs. resting baseline), consistent with a change in respiration. Post-Vipassana, the meditation task increased HF n.u. and decreased THM compared to resting baseline, suggesting post-Vipassana task-related changes are characterised by a decrease in absolute LF power, not parasympathetic-mediated increases in HF power. Such baroreflex changes are classically associated with attentional load, and our results are interpreted in light of the concept of ‘flow’ — a state of positive and full immersion in an activity. These results are also consistent with changes in normalised HRV reported in other meditation studies. •Examines change in well-being after 10 days of mindfulness meditation (Vipassana).•HRV compared pre- and post-Vipassana training at baseline and in meditation task.•Most measures of well-being (positive and negative) improved after post-Vipassana.•Ln HF increased pre-, normalised HF increased, LF (THM) decreased post-Vipassana.•HRV results interpreted in terms of flow, a state of positive immersion in a task.