Meditation practice is associated with decreased drowsiness and daytime sleepiness. This decrease in daytime sleepiness, rather than nighttime sleep quality, could be important in explaining why mindfulness reduces the risk of depression relapse.

University of California, Davis

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Contrary to predictions, results demonstrate that although remaining depression symptoms improved after Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, objective sleep measurements do not support the prediction that mindfulness meditation improves sleep and actually increases arousal.  However, according to subjective accounts,  mindfulness helped improve sleep.   So, this leads to the possibility that participants could be under some sort of placebo effect because at face value, mindfulness meditation seems like it would help with sleep.

Results regarding sleep as a mediator between mindfulness and depression relapse

Britton, W. B., Haynes, P. L., Fridel, K. W., &amp; Bootzin, R. R. (2010). Polysomnographic and subjective profiles of sleep continuity before and after mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in partially remitted depression. Psychosomatic Medicine, 72(6), 539–548. https://doi.org/10.1097/psy.0b013e3181dc1bad 

Polysomnographic and Subjective Profiles of Sleep Continuity Before and After Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Partially Remitted Depression

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy group demonstrates suppressed slow wave sleep and slightly significant increases in arousal, awakenings and stage 1 sleep after treatment compared to control group. Arousal and lighter sleep correlated with higher mindfulness meditation amounts.

Mindfulness training associated with arousal in polysomnographic sleep profiles


MBCT patients had larger decrease in beckman depression index scores than controls. However, there is no correlation between change in depression scores and any sleep variables or between change in beckman depression index scores and meditation practice amount in MBCT group.

Correlations between depression results, polysomnographic sleep, and MBCT

Subjective accounts associated mindfulness meditation with improved sleep quality.  Sleep disturbances predict depression relapse so, increased mindfulness which improves sleep quality may lessen depression relapse

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