Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) modestly improve blood sugar control and mental health in people with diabetes. A systematic review and meta-analysis of 11 randomized trials involving 987 participants found that, at follow-up (12–20 weeks), MBIs reduced glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) by an average of 0.5 percentage points and lowered depression scores. The evidence suggests that mindfulness training—helping patients accept sensations and emotions without automatic reactivity—can complement standard diabetes care. The authors call for further research to confirm these effects and understand how MBIs fit into comprehensive diabetes treatment.
A bedside mindfulness intervention was developed and tested for patients with sickle cell disease experiencing acute pain during infusion sessions. The intervention was designed with input from clinicians and patients. In interviews, 11 patients expressed interest in mindfulness skills and a need for personalized, non-pharmacological pain management. Among 14 participants who completed surveys, most liked the intervention and agreed it could help manage disease-related distress. Self-reported mindfulness increased after the sessions. These preliminary results support further development of mindfulness-based services to help individuals with sickle cell disease manage pain and psychological difficulties.
Brief mindfulness meditation reduces defensive reactions to threatening health messages and increases intentions to adopt healthy behaviors, though it does not significantly change actual behavior. Across two online experiments involving sleep hygiene advice and a fictional rare disease screening scenario, participants who engaged in a short mindfulness meditation showed less defensiveness and greater willingness to improve sleep or seek screening. In the screening experiment, mindfulness helped people accept risk feedback and lowered message defensiveness, which in turn boosted screening intentions. However, the meditation did not lead to a significant increase in actually making a screening appointment. Brief mindfulness practice may help health communication by making people more receptive to threatening information.