0862 Effect of meditation and relaxation on physiological markers of stress and sleep

Abstract Introduction Both breathing based meditation (interoceptive) and relaxation by improving blood circulation using heat and massage (exteroceptive) are known to reduce physiological stress. In this study, we determined the effect of stress-reduction on sleep. Our main population of interest was peri- and post- menopausal women who may develop sleep disorders correlated with early-life physical abuse. Methods 20 adults (15 peri- and post-menopausal females), 13 with high risk of sleep apnea (determined by Berlin questionnaire, age mean±SEM, 54±3 years, waist-by-neck 2.6±0.07, BMI 26±1 kg/m2, Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) Scale 5.71±1.23, Generalized Anxiety (GAD-7) Score 5.33±1.22, Early Trauma Inventory Self-Report Short Form (ETISR-SF)physical 3±0.17. Dreem3 headband was used to get breathing rate (BR), sleep efficiency, sleep staging. Plethysmography was used to obtain mean and nadir oxygen saturation %, heart rate (HR), oxygen desaturation (4%) event index (ODI). BMI, age, waist/neck were recorded. Baseline sleep measures were compared against sleep after administration of 10 minutes rest, 10 minutes relaxation and 10 minutes of Ujjayi pranayama with repeats of 4 in-, 4 hold-, 6 out- breaths. ETISR-physical was correlated with all measures. Paired t-tests were conducted on sleep measures at baseline and after meditation/relaxation. One-sample t-tests were conducted on average % changes during meditation/relaxation compared to rest. Results Early-life physical trauma correlated positively with BR during REM sleep (Pearson R= 0.68). Deep sleep significantly (p=0.04) increased by 5% on the sleep after meditation/relaxation. Both meditation and relaxation techniques significantly (p< 0.01) lowered HR by 1.5% and 4.5%, and BR by 20% and 15% respectively during Ujjayi pranayama and relaxation. We observed significant increase (p< 0.05) in oxygen saturation with the Ujjayi pranayama by 0.3%. Conclusion Early-life physical abuse was correlated with faster breathing during REM sleep validating existing literature. Both HR and BR were reduced during meditation and relaxation techniques, thus validating their stress-reduction effects. % of deep sleep improved on the night when meditation/relaxation session was administered. Mind-body practices could improve deep sleep if practiced regularly even in peri- and post-menopausal women having early-life physical abuse trauma. Support (if any) Sleep Research Society (SRS) Small Research Grant 2022.