Sanjib Patra, Nagendra H.R. and Shirley Telles.
Indian Council of Medical Research Center for Advanced Research in Yoga and Neurophysiology, SVYASA, Bengaluru, India
sankp75@gmail.com

Abstract

Aim
To assess whether CM practice would influence the state anxiety and the quality of sleep based on a self rated sleep questionnaire.
Materials and Methods
Ninety-two participants, ages ranged from 20 to 51 years (groups mean ± S.D., 29.6 ± 9.3 years) were assessed in two types of sessions, viz., (i) Cyclic meditation (CM) and (ii) Supine rest (SR). Assessments were made immediately at the beginning and end of a session using state trait anxiety inventory (STAI) questionnaire, which was 23 minutes in duration whereas self rating of sleep (SRS) was administered on the morning following nights with no intervention, CM and SR. Separate sessions were conducted for each of the assessments.
Results
Nights following the practice of Cyclic meditation (CM) and Supine rest (SR), self rated sleep based on the four items questionnaire showed improvement in all indices of sleep following CM beside the number of dreams recollected. Two items based on visual analogue scale showed improvement in both the groups, but it was better in CM night compared to SR. Also, both CM and SR were followed by a decrease in state anxiety, with a greater decrease following CM.
Conclusion
Practicing cyclic meditation appeared to improve the indices of sleep and anxiety score.
Key words
Meditation
Sleep
Anxiety