- The aim was to examine the effects of a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) intervention on cardiovascular and cortisol activity during acute stress.
- Eighty-eight healthy community-dwelling individuals reporting elevated stress levels were randomly assigned to the MBSR protocol or a waitlist control group.
Details of the intervention (pulled from the full-text paper):
- Before and after the intervention period they participated in a laboratory stress protocol consisting of mental arithmetic and speech tasks.
- Compared to the control group and controlling for age, sex, body mass index, and beta-blockers, the MBSR group showed larger pre- to postintervention decreases in overall systolic blood pressure
- In addition, the MBSR group exhibited smaller systolic and diastolic blood pressure stress-related changes from pre- to postintervention
- Conclusion: MBSR may help reducing blood pressure levels and blood pressure reactivity to stress.
(Nyklíček, Mommersteeg, Van Beugen, Ramakers, & Van Boxtel, 2013). Health Psychology.
