Meditation and Stress Mitigation: can a one-time meditation session mitigate subsequent stress, as measured by heart rate, electrodermal activity, and blood pressure?

Abstract

Objectives: This study explores the effect of one-time guided meditation on physiological measures of stress after a stress induction. The goal is to determine if meditating even once can mitigate stress in the short term. Design/Methods: There were 18 subjects (10 male and 8 female). The subjects were split equally into two groups, a meditation group and control group. The Trier Social Stress Test was administered to both groups; however, the meditation group performed guided meditation prior to the test. Three parameters were observed: heart rate, skin conductance, and blood pressure. Baseline measurements for all parameters were taken at the beginning of the session. For the meditation group, heart rate was recorded directly after meditation as well. For both groups, skin conductance was recorded during administration of the stress test, and heart rate and blood pressure were measured after the test. Results: Results did not show a statistically significant effect on the physiological factors tested. Conclusions: The study suggests that one-time meditation does not have significant, short-term stress mitigating effects.