Understanding the physiology of mindfulness: Aortic hemodynamics and heart rate variability
Open accessAbstract
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.
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Considering the effectiveness of MBI in improving psychological outcomes, it is highly possible that MBI may provide beneficial effects in fatigue recovery after a 45 min soccer match.
“Considering the effectiveness of MBI in improving psychological outcomes [12,13,14,15,16,17], it is highly possible that MBI may provide beneficial effects in fatigue recovery after a 45 min soccer match.”
From Acute effects of brief mindfulness intervention coupled with carbohydrate ingestion to re-energize soccer players: a randomized crossover trial. (2020) · cites this paper as [14]
Brief MBI programs reduce chronic pain or increase pain tolerance, benefit cardiovascular and respiratory modulation, and help physiological relaxation responses.
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From Acute effects of brief mindfulness intervention coupled with carbohydrate ingestion to re-energize soccer players: a randomized crossover trial. (2020) · cites this paper as [14]
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- Authors
- May, R. W., Bamber, M., Seibert, G. S., Sanchez-Gonzalez, M. A., Leonard, J. T., Salsbury, R. A., & Fincham, F. D.
- Affiliations
- Florida State University (US)
- Division of Clinical & Translational Research, Larkin Community Hospital, South Miami, Florida, USA
- Corresponding author
- May, Ross W.
- Venue
- Stress
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2016-03-03
- Volume
- 19
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 168-174
- ISSN
- 1025-3890 (ISSN-L)
- 1607-8888
- OpenAlex
- W2289758072
- Cited by
- 49
- References
- 49
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 1
- FWCI
- 4.12
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Stress (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic Control
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Cardiac Health and Mental Health
- Keywords
- mindfulness, cardiovascular autonomic modulation, heart rate variability, aortic hemodynamics, myocardial oxygen consumption, left ventricular work, blood pressure variability, vascular tone, mindfulness induction, religiosity
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Aorta, Autonomic Nervous System, Blood Pressure, Cardiovascular Physiological Phenomena, Female, Heart, Heart Rate, Hemodynamics, Humans, Male, Oxygen Consumption, Vascular Resistance, Young Adult, Mindfulness
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