Sirirat Sirilert. A meditation program for sleep promotion : its effects on stress and quality of sleep in the middle-aged . Master's Degree(Public Health Nursing). Mahidol University. : Mahidol University, 2004.
A meditation program for sleep promotion : its effects on stress and quality of sleep in the middle-aged
Abstract:
Insufficient amount of sleep, whether in time or quality, is a crucial health
problem of middle age, which effects both physical and mental health and causes
stress. Promoting sleep among the middle-aged is therefore essential to help improve
the time and quality of their sleep.
This research studied the effectiveness of a meditation program on stress and
quality of sleep in the middle-aged. The Anapanasti meditation handbook, prayers,
were employed in the meditation of the test group over an eight-week period. For
both test group and control group a general data questionnaire, a sleeping problem
and behavior evaluation form, a stress evaluation form, a meditation record form, a
sleeping record form, a sphygmomanometer, and a fingertip thermometer were used
to measure results.
In comparison with before the experiment, after the experiment the
experimental group had a higher average score for sleeping time, feeling active while
awake, and having long uninterrupted sleep, and a lower average score for stress. For
the comparison group, there was no significant difference in the average scores for
stress, sleeping time, or feeling active while awake, but there was a significant
difference in having long uninterrupted sleep. The experimental group’s generally
better scores for quality sleep and its lower score for stress indicate that, among the
middle age, practicing Anapanasti meditation along with praying can help improve
the quality of sleep and reduce stress . Therefore this method can be useful for
promoting sleep and reducing stress among people in that age group. Further studies
could determine whether it has application for other age groups as well