Impact of Virtual Heartfulness Meditation Program on Stress, Quality of Sleep, and Psychological Wellbeing during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Method Study

Abstract

Stress and lack of quality sleep affect a large portion of the population around the globe, and the COVID-19 pandemic has genuinely brought attention to these problems. This study aimed to investigate whether using a virtual heart-based meditation program is associated with improved stress levels and quality of sleep among participants from the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic. We recruited 63 participants to receive an 8-week virtually conducted Heartfulness meditation program in a prospective pre–post single-arm intervention study from September 28 to November 22 2020. Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores were collected at baseline, at 4 weeks, and 8 weeks. Of the 63 participants enrolled in the study, 36 (57%) completed an 8-week Heartfulness meditation program. There was a significant decrease in PSS (mean difference of 6.68 with 95% C.I. 4.89–8.47, p < 0.0001) and in PSQI (mean difference of 2.05 with 95% C.I. 1.03–3.07, p < 0.0001) between week zero and week eight, regardless of Health Care Professional status. The qualitative thematic analysis strongly supported the survey results. A significant reduction in perceived stress score and improvement in sleep quality index was noted at the end of a virtual Heartfulness meditation program. Moreover, Heartfulness meditation practice may help cultivate the quality of empathy, acceptance, and individual peace. We conclude that the effects of virtually accessible Heartfulness meditation practice need to be explored further in larger studies.

Online Short-Term Mindfulness-Based Intervention During COVID-19 Quarantine in Italy: Effects on Wellbeing, Stress, and Anxiety

“…For example, a cross-sectional study (Priyanka and Rasania, 2021 ) during COVID-19 pandemic on the general population reported higher mental wellbeing scores and lower risk of psychological distress and depression in subjects practicing yoga and meditation; The study of Nutting et al ( 2022 ) conducted on family physicians showed a reduction of anxiety, stress, and an increasing in perceiving resilience and compassion after a brief mindfulness intervention. A positive effect of MBI was also observed in the study by González-García et al ( 2021 ) where a brief online mindfulness and compassion-based intervention increase mental health on first-year psychology students from a university in Spain during COVID-19 pandemic, and in Desai et al ( 2021 ) where an 8-week heartfulness meditation program showed a positive impact on stress and sleep quality.…”

Relation of Mindfulness, Heartfulness and Well-Being in Students during the Coronavirus-Pandemic

“…The authors concluded that mindfulness seems to foster higher levels of psychological well-being through heartfulness. Desai et al ( 2022 ) used a specific heartfulness meditation practice (meditation practice bringing awareness to the heart and using the phone application called “heartsApp”). They demonstrated that heartfulness intervention significantly reduces the perceived stress score and the sleep quality index.…”

Perceived stress and sleep quality among health care faculty and postgraduate students during COVID- 19 pandemic lockdown

“…Some innovations have been introduced such as a virtual heartfulness meditation programme introduced for eight weeks in USA which led to improved sleep quality and stress scores. (20) More studies are needed to identify which specific psychosocial interventions are effective in certain populations considering age, discipline and educational background. Without sufficient support from teachers, they may experience job-related stress and become more susceptible to mental illness.…”