Understanding the physiology of mindfulness: aortic hemodynamics and heart rate variability
Stress (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Short Title:
StressUnderstanding the physiology of mindfulness
Format:
Journal Article
Publication Date:
Nov 30, 2015
Pages:
168 - 174
Sources ID:
108726
Collection:
Mindfulness Studies and Undergraduates
Visibility:
Public (group default)
Abstract:
(Show)
Data were collected to examine autonomic and hemodynamic cardiovascular modulation underlying mindfulness from two independent samples. An initial sample (N = 185) underwent laboratory assessments of central aortic blood pressure and myocardial functioning to investigated the association between mindfulness and cardiac functioning. Controlling for religiosity, mindfulness demonstrated a strong negative relationship with myocardial oxygen consumption and left ventricular work but not heart rate or blood pressure. A second sample (N = 124) underwent a brief (15 min) mindfulness inducing intervention to examine the influence of mindfulness on cardiovascular autonomic modulation via blood pressure variability and heart rate variability. The intervention had a strong positive effect on cardiovascular modulation by decreasing cardiac sympathovagal tone, vasomotor tone, vascular resistance and ventricular workload. This research establishes a link between mindfulness and cardiovascular functioning via correlational and experimental methodologies in samples of mostly female undergraduates. Future directions for research are outlined.