Cyclic Meditation and Sleep Quality: A Review.

Area of Science:

• Complementary Health Approaches
• Integrative Medicine
• Sleep Science

Background:

• Insufficient sleep has significant short- and long-term health consequences.
• Yoga, including asanas, meditation, and breathing, is a recognized approach for physical and mental well-being.
• Cyclic meditation (CM), a practice combining postures and relaxation, is gaining attention for its sleep-enhancing potential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the scientific literature on the effects of Cyclic Meditation (CM) on sleep quality.
• To synthesize available data on CM's efficacy in improving sleep parameters.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search was conducted across PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, and Google Scholar up to January 22, 2023.
• Studies evaluating the impact of CM on sleep quality were included, with results limited to English-language publications.
• Keywords included 'Cyclic Meditation' and 'sleep quality'.

Main Results:

• Five studies with a total of 277 participants met the inclusion criteria, all originating from India.
• Study designs included randomized controlled trials and pre-post/crossover designs.
• Evidence suggests CM is effective in enhancing sleep quality, with effect sizes ranging from d=0.56 to 4.90 across various populations including healthy individuals, type-2 diabetics, and alcohol dependents.

Conclusions:

• Cyclic Meditation (CM) appears to be a beneficial practice for improving sleep quality.
• Further high-quality, adequately powered randomized controlled trials are necessary to establish CM as a definitive yogic intervention for sleep disturbances.