Systolic Blood Pressure and Long-Term Practice of the Transcendental Meditation® and TM-Sidhi Program: Effects of TM on Systolic Blood Pressure

Wallace, Keith R.; Silver, Joel; Mills, Paul J.; Dillbeck, Michael C.; Wagoner, Dale E.

doi:10.1097/00006842-198303000-00006

Cited by 53 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…That BP did not drop very much during TM is not surprising, because the subjects (long-term meditation practitioners) already had very low BP for their age (ie, 111.5/74.1 mm Hg), indicating a possible "physiological floor effect." This SBP is 14% lower than the population mean for this age group (129 mm Hg) (30) and is in agreement with previous findings of long-term TM practitioners having lower BP than population norms (8). In this context, it is worth noting that the largest drop in SBP during TM was observed in the subject with the highest BP during eyes-open rest.…”

Section: Tm Vs Relaxation Conditionsupporting

confidence: 91%

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Acute Effects of Transcendental Meditation1 on Hemodynamic Functioning in Middle-Aged Adults

Barnes

Treiber

Turner

et al. 1999

Psychosomatic Medicine

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Objective-Increased peripheral vasoconstriction (ie, total peripheral resistance, or TPR) has been implicated as playing an important role in the early development of essential hypertension. Some studies have demonstrated that Transcendental Meditation (TM) reduces high blood pressure, but the hemodynamic adjustments behind these blood pressure reductions have not been elucidated. The aim of this study was to provide a preliminary investigation of the acute effects of TM on TPR.Methods-Subjects were 32 healthy adults (16 women and 16 men; 30 white and two African American; mean age, 46.4 ± 3.9 years). Subjects were divided into a TM group of long-term TM practitioners (eight white women, nine white men, and one African American man; mean years of twice-daily TM practice, 22.4 ± 6.7) and a control group (eight white women, five white men, and one African American man). Hemodynamic functioning was assessed immediately before and during three conditions: 20 minutes of rest with eyes open (all subjects), 20 minutes of TM (TM group), and 20 minutes of eyes-closed relaxation (control group).Results-During eyes-open rest, the TM group had decreases in systolic blood pressure (SBP) and TPR, compared with increases in the control group (SBP: −2.5 vs. +2.4 mm Hg, p < .01; TPR: −0.7 vs. +0.5 mm Hg/liter per minute, p < .004). During TM, there was a greater decrease in SBP due to a concomitantly greater decrease in TPR compared with the control group during eyesclosed relaxation (SBP: −3.0 vs. +2.1 mm Hg, p < .04; TPR: −1.0 vs. +0.3 mm Hg/liter per minute, p < .03).Conclusions-TPR decreased significantly during TM. Decreases in vasoconstrictive tone during TM may be the hemodynamic mechanism responsible for reduction of high blood pressure over time. The results of this study provide a preliminary contribution to the understanding of the underlying hemodynamic mechanisms responsible for the beneficial influence of TM on cardiovascular risk factors.

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Section: Tm Vs Relaxation Conditionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Individuals practicing TM have been found to have lower resting SBP and DBP than matched controls (7,8). Recently, studies have reported BP reductions (9,10) as well as reduced cardiovascular disease mortality and total mortality (10-13) with TM.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acute Effects of Transcendental Meditation1 on Hemodynamic Functioning in Middle-Aged Adults

Barnes

Treiber

Turner

et al. 1999

Psychosomatic Medicine

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“…This pressure is generated by the heart pumping blood around the body and by the resistance of the arteries to the flow of blood 12) . Studies have provided strong evidence that meditation may help decrease BP of the persons who are moderately hypertensive [13][14][15] . Many studies have also revealed that this positive effect disappears when meditation is discontinued 16,17) .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Heart Rates and Blood Pressure in Different <i>Salat</i> Positions

et al. 2013

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Abstract. [Purpose] This study reports the effects of the Muslim prayer, known as Salat, on heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) while performing and miming the actions of Salat: standing, bowing, prostrating and sitting.[Subjects] Thirty Muslim subjects were asked to perform the actual and mime Salat.[Methods] HR and BP were measured using a Schiller AT-102 Electrocardiograph and an Omron SEM-1 Automatic Blood Pressure Monitor.[Results] The findings revealed that there was a significant difference in the HR of the subjects between performing and miming Salat. The standing and prostration positions of Salat produced the highest and the lowest HR, respectively. A lower HR may be of potential benefit to an individual's health. The systolic and the diastolic BP decreased significantly after performance and mime of Salat, and a greater reduction in BP was observed during performance of Salat. [Conclusion] This is the first study of HR and BP in relation to Salat positions. The findings will encourage further studies to explore the benefits of Salat maneuvers for patients with cardiovascular diseases.

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“…Ruth R.M. et al [26] found that after practice of TM for two years there was no effect on heart rate in his volunteers and therefore he does not support the hypothesis that TM is a state of reduced sympathetic activity. Majority of the workers have shown the significant reduction in resting pulse rate as an effect of meditation and the present study aggress with them.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 83%

Effect of Transcendental Meditation on Pulse Rate and Blood Pressure

SS¹,

JG²

2012

Int J Med Clin Res

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Abstract-Disorders of cardiovascular system especially hypertension and ischemic heart disease are leading causes of death all over the world. In today's life, stress is inevitable. Stress is one of the important factors precipitating the above diseases. In preventing such diseases therefore one must try to reduce the stress. Meditation is one of the important tools in reducing the stress. In the present study therefore its effect on the pulse rate and blood pressure were studied. Effect of 6 weeks of TM (Transcendental Meditation) practice was studied on pulse rate and blood pressure in 37 male and 38 female volunteers. There was significant reduction in pulse rate in both sexes indicating reduced sympathetic activity. However there was no significant change in systolic or diastolic blood pressure. In the present study TM was practiced only for 6 weeks. Prolonged practice of TM may be more effective and may also cause reduction in blood pressure. Effects of practicing TM for a longer time should be studied.

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Systolic Blood Pressure and Long-Term Practice of the Transcendental Meditation® and TM-Sidhi Program: Effects of TM on Systolic Blood Pressure

Cited by 53 publications

References 17 publications

Acute Effects of Transcendental Meditation1 on Hemodynamic Functioning in Middle-Aged Adults

Acute Effects of Transcendental Meditation1 on Hemodynamic Functioning in Middle-Aged Adults

Assessment of Heart Rates and Blood Pressure in Different <i>Salat</i> Positions

Effect of Transcendental Meditation on Pulse Rate and Blood Pressure

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