Sleep

Linda Carroll TODAY contributor

7 hours ago

Meditation might be a key to treating sleep problems in adults.

Scott Quinn Photography / Getty Images

Mindful meditation sitting quietly while focusing on breathing and being "present" improves sleep quality in older adults better than other relaxation techniques, according to a study published Monday in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

Often people with sleep problems cant turn off the anxiety and tension from a stressful day, says study coauthor Michael Irwin, the Cousins Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. Their overall arousal is high and mindfulness short-circuits that, Irwin says. It allows them to pull back from the stress.

"People are first taught to sit quietly and focus on their breathing and then to be present in the moment," says Irwin.

UCLA researchers randomly assigned a small group of 49 volunteers, aged 55 and older, who suffered from moderate sleep issues to receive training in mindfulness meditation or in improving basic sleep habits. The meditation didn't require a mantra.

At the end of the study, volunteers from the meditation group showed greater improvement in sleep quality compared to those who had learned other ways to improve sleep. Further, meditation seemed to improve sleep better than sleep medications, based on findings from previous research.

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Short-circuit stress: Mindful meditation may be key to better sleep