Can heart rate variability demonstrate the effects and the levels of mindfulness? A repeated-measures study on experienced and novice mindfulness practitioners.
BMC complementary medicine and therapies July 3, 2025 Yanping Wei, Yifei Xu, Wanlin Chen et al. 4 citations
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.