Mindfulness Meditation: An Interventional Tool to Attenuate Cardiovascular Reactivity to Mental Stress in Undergraduate Medical Students

BACKGROUND: We studied the effect of the single bout mindfulness meditation on cardiovascular reactivity (CVR) to acute mental stress to devise a method to assess and attenuate mental stress among Indian undergraduate medical students. METHODOLOGY: This was a pre- and post-comparative interventional study conducted in thirty healthy male undergraduate medical students. Anthropometric measurements, heart rate (HR), and blood pressure readings were recorded during the assessment. These participants are selected based on age criteria, weight, history of morbidity, and history of prior exposure to mindfulness meditation. RESULTS: Data of Premindfulness meditation reactivity (T1-R1) and Post mindfulness meditation reactivity (T2-R2) were compared and analyzed for significance to draw conclusion. Systolic blood pressure reactivity, when compared between Pre-Mindfulness Meditation reactivity (T1-R1) and Postmindfulness Meditation reactivity (T2-R2), showed statistically significant results with P < 0.01, with no significance seen between diastolic blood pressure reactivity and HR reactivity. A significant difference in systolic blood pressure reactivity after mindfulness meditation intervention points toward the role of mindfulness meditation in decreasing CVR reactivity as opposed to increased CVR reactivity seen during mental stress without intervention. CONCLUSION: This concludes that mindfulness meditation influences CVR reactivity to mental stress even as a one-time Intervention.