The Impact of Morning Meditation and Sleep Quality on Affective and Health Outcomes in Healthcare Workers.

Morning meditation boosts positive affect and improves end-of-day vitality and mental health, especially when the preceding night's sleep was poor. In a study of 44 healthcare employees across five workdays, morning meditation was linked to higher positive affect, which in turn predicted better health indicators. Sleep quality moderated this effect: the benefit of meditation on mental health and vitality through positive affect was strongest after a poor night's sleep. The findings suggest that meditation micro-breaks are most helpful when sleep quality is low, offering a practical strategy for supporting well-being in high-stress workplaces.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Health is a critical factor influencing key workplace outcomes, including job attitudes, behaviors, and performance. This study investigated the role of daily micro-breaks, specifically morning meditation practices, and positive affective experiences (i.e., positive affect) at work in predicting health-related outcomes, namely vitality and mental health. Using a non-experimental design, this study tested a moderated mediation model in which sleep quality moderates the relationship between morning meditation and positive affect, which, in turn, predicts end-of-the-day health-related outcomes. Data were collected twice a day from 44 healthcare employees over five consecutive workdays using a daily survey approach. Multilevel modeling analyses revealed that morning meditation was significantly associated with increased positive affect and improved health indicators at the end of the workday. Moreover, sleep quality moderated the relationship between morning meditation and positive affect, such that the conditional indirect effect of meditation on end-of-day mental health and vitality via positive affect was significant when sleep quality from the preceding night was poor. These findings underscore the interactive effect of prior-night sleep quality and morning meditation on affective and health-related outcomes by the end of the day. By identifying sleep quality as a key boundary condition, we contribute to a more nuanced understanding of when meditation is most beneficial. Our findings have significant implications for both research and practice, particularly in high-stress environments such as healthcare, where optimizing employee well-being is crucial for both individual and organizational performance.