Can heart rate variability demonstrate the effects and the levels of mindfulness? A repeated-measures study on experienced and novice mindfulness practitioners.

Heart rate variability (HRV) can reveal the effects of mindfulness, but the pattern of change differs between novice and experienced practitioners. In a 14-day mindfulness training study with 46 participants (20 experienced, 26 novices), both groups showed significant changes in HRV indices (RMSSD, SDNN, LnHF) from baseline to mindfulness practice or afterward. Experienced practitioners exhibited significant fluctuations during mindfulness (in SD1/SD2, Sample Entropy, normalized High Frequency, DFA_α1, and DFA_α2) that recovered afterward, while novices showed only monotonic changes in SD1/SD2 and DFA_α1. These distinct patterns suggest that practice experience influences the physiological response to mindfulness.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Heart rate variability (HRV) is a potential biomarker that might demonstrate the effects of mindfulness, but it might be influenced by practice experiences. This study wanted to elucidate the possibility of using HRV metrics to reveal the effects of mindfulness and examine its variation between novice and experienced mindfulness practitioners. Forty-six participants (20 experienced practitioners, 26 novices) were enrolled to practice 14-day mindfulness training. HRV data were collected during three phases (20 min baseline, T1; 20 min mindfulness, T2; 20 min post-mindfulness, T3) using Holter monitoring. The linear mixed model was conducted to explore the effects of group and time based on standardized data. The experienced group had higher full-scale scores of FFMQ both in the pre-test (t = -3.34, df = 44, p = 0.002) and the post-test (t = -2.35, df = 44, p = 0.025). Both groups showed significant changes in HRV indices (e.g., RMSSD, SDNN, LnHF) from T1 to T2 or T3 (p < 0.05). In the experienced group, significant fluctuations (p < 0.05) were observed at T2, followed by recovery at T3, in SD1/SD2, Sample Entropy, normalized High Frequency (HFn), DFA_α1, and DFA_α2. In contrast, the novice participants only showed monotonic changes in SD1/SD2 and DFA_α1. This study revealed significant HRV changes during mindfulness practice, with distinct patterns observed between novice and experienced practitioners.