How 15 minutes of daily meditation can change your heart function

Andrey Molchanov, Co-founder & CEO at Mo: Meditation and Sleep shares research findings on meditation’s long-term benefits and its role in heart recovery programs.

Meditation and mindfulness are now getting more attention in medical fields. The question stands: what do these practices mean, and do they work for heart patients?  New research suggests the answer might be yes.

Impressive long-term research results

A recent five-year study involving 201 patients with coronary heart disease showed remarkable results. Participants were asked to practice transcendental meditation – a technique where a person sits comfortably with closed eyes and mentally repeats a specific sound for 15 minutes daily.

The results were striking: the risk of death, heart attack, and stroke decreased by 48%. These changes were linked to reduced blood pressure and stress levels. Researchers concluded that “this practice may be clinically beneficial for secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases” – meaning preventing repeated heart attacks or strokes in people already affected by these conditions.

Mahdy Hassanzadeh Delui from Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in Mashhad and his team studied meditation in patients with cardiovascular diseases and depression. 45 patients were randomly divided into three groups: relaxation, meditation, and control. 

After completing the Beck Depression Scale and anxiety self-assessment, patients underwent ten sessions of physical muscle relaxation (PMR) or mindful meditation, or received no intervention. The meditation group showed significant reductions in depression scores, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and heart rate compared to the control group.

Additional studies on the connection between psychosocial stress and coronary heart disease (CHD) were conducted across various demographic patient groups. In a 2014 study, 5,313 men and women of Spanish or Latin American ethnic background were evaluated for chronic stress levels, based mainly on self-reported stress in areas such as finances, work, relationships, health, drug or alcohol use, or additional stressors.

After adjusting for socio-demographic, behavioral, and biological risk factors, patients with higher chronic stress scores showed increased prevalence of CHD, stroke, diabetes, hypertension, and smoking.

Meditation as part of cardiac rehabilitation

Analysis of 23 controlled studies on heart disease showed that psychosocial interventions, such as meditation, breathing exercises, and physical relaxation techniques, improve treatment outcomes when added to cardiac rehabilitation programs for CHD patients.

To understand these findings’ significance, consider the scale of cardiovascular disease. In the US, CHD-related chest pain brings more than 8 million people to emergency rooms each year. This shows we need new ways to stop and treat heart problems.

Meditation – the practice of focused thinking and mental calm – might help reduce heart disease cases. Research spanning many years shows meditation helps control many heart disease risk factors.

Money matters

Heart diseases cost a lot to treat. Every year, people with heart attack symptoms make up about 10% of emergency visits and 25% of hospital stays.

Medical bills for these patients add up to $286 billion per year – about 17% of all money spent on healthcare.

 These numbers emphasize the need for cardiovascular interventions like meditation that could help address this issue.

Impact on psychological risk factors and short-term meditation effects

Studies have shown that meditation practices positively affect psychological risk factors. For example, a 2010 study included 42 volunteers to evaluate the effects of progressive self-focused meditation.

Participants were split into two groups: one attended weekly hour-long training sessions for 5 weeks, and another served as a waiting control group. After 5 weeks, the meditation group showed significant decreases in depression scores and increased attention compared to the control group.

Another study assessed the benefits of short mindful meditation sessions on mood and cardiovascular variables, such as heart rate and blood pressure, compared to simulated meditation.

The study involved 82 students (34 males and 48 females) with no prior meditation experience. They participated in three training sessions of mindful meditation, simulated mindful meditation, or were randomized into a control group.

The study concluded that meditation intervention was more effective in reducing negative mood, depression, fatigue, confusion, and heart rate compared to simulation and control groups.

A research project looked at how a four-day spiritual program affected mood and health in 41 people who had heart problems in the past year and a half. The program mixed different activities – people did guided imagery exercises, meditated, played drums, wrote in journals, and spent time outside. They also learned about eating well, exercising, and managing daily pressures. Both retreat groups received follow-up phone consultations twice weekly for 3 months.

At baseline, the spiritual retreat group had the highest depression scores, but this group had significantly lower depression scores at all post-intervention time points (P≤0.002). Though several indicators improved across all three groups at 6 months, the spiritual retreat group showed immediate improvement after the retreat, which continued throughout the 3-month study.

Recent popularity of meditation and mindfulness is backed by scientific research, showing actual benefits for heart health. Studies demonstrate its broad impact – from lowering risks of heart attacks and strokes to making people feel better and less stressed. Meditation stands out as a simple way to support heart health without medical procedures.

As scientists look for new methods to deal with rising cardiovascular problems, meditation is becoming recognized as an effective option for both preventing and treating heart conditions.

Tech Bullion