(Zheng, Yao, & Narayanan, 2020)
While many research teams are dedicating themselves to discovering a vaccine for the COVID-19 virus, mindfulness researchers are now studying how mindfulness practices could be effective for reducing the daily anxiety associated with the pandemic. Scientific research traditionally moves slowly, yet a team of researchers based in the perceived epicenter of the virus, Wuhan, China, recently tested whether a brief mindfulness intervention delivered through an app could be effective for reducing anxiety and protecting nightly sleep during the unfolding pandemic.
New COVID-19 outbreaks within communities cause sudden and unprecedented physical, emotional, occupational, and social changes. Individuals naturally experiencing anxiety may also encounter disruption to their sleep health. The reciprocating effects of anxiety on sleep health lead to further health complications that may leave immune systems compromised and populations further susceptible to infection.
This study recruited 97 adult volunteers from Wuhan, China for a randomized controlled trial conducted in a 10 day period between February 20th and March 2nd, 2020. Participants were randomized into either a mindfulness intervention or a mind-wandering intervention control group.
At the beginning of the study, all participants completed a baseline survey to collect demographic information and baseline mindfulness levels. Every morning, both groups were sent a survey through a messaging app assessing for sleep duration, sleep quality, and caffeine intake, followed by a ten minute audio instruction for practice.
The mindfulness practice included instructions for mindful awareness, present focus, and acceptance. The mind-wandering audio contained instructions for unfocused attention, a wakeful state that is commonly used as a controlled condition in mindfulness research. Each night, participants completed another survey to assess for daily anxiety levels.
“Mindfulness interventions delivered through a smartphone app offers a viable public health solution to counteract the detrimental and synergistic effects of anxiety and sleep disruptions during this emerging pandemic.”
Study results revealed that compared to the mind-wandering condition, participants in the mindfulness group reported higher levels of mindfulness. Next, analyses indicated that daily anxiety levels were lower in the mindfulness group, even after controlling for a cluster of factors such as trait anxiety levels, age, and gender.
Furthermore, a difference emerged between the two groups with regards to the relationship between sleep duration and reports of new confirmed cases, a factor hypothesized to cause anxiety and disrupt sleep. Those within the mind-wandering condition loss more sleep by an average of 39 minutes per thousand daily confirmed cases. Importantly, sleep quantity was unaffected by those within the mindfulness condition.
While a notable advantage of this study is the unprecedented timing and access to a vulnerable community, this study has substantial limitations. Future studies will have the opportunity to implement more rigorous methodology, include a more comprehensive battery of assessments for different health indices, and include follow-up data to assess whether these changes are enduring.
The findings from this study offer insights into both the potential power of mindfulness practice and the multifaceted utility of science during a time of global crisis. Mindfulness interventions delivered through a smartphone app offers a viable public health solution to counteract the detrimental and synergistic effects of anxiety and sleep disruptions during this emerging pandemic. With concerns of over-utilization of hospital services, brief app-delivered mindfulness practices could add an additional level of health protection for citizens and their respected communities.
Michael is the Founder & Chief Editor of the Science of Mindfulness.
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