Mindfulness Meditation Targets Transdiagnostic Symptoms Implicated in Stress-Related Disorders: Understanding Relationships between Changes in Mindfulness, Sleep Quality, and Physical Symptoms

Figure 1

Conceptual model showing hypothesized mechanisms of mindfulness involved in MBSR. Specifically, increased mindfulness is linked to reduced cognitive perseveration (e.g., lower rumination, fewer unwanted intrusive thoughts) and enhanced emotion regulation (e.g., greater cognitive reappraisal, less emotion suppression, less thought suppression, and less avoidance) that, together, may partly explain improved sleep quality and stress-related physical symptoms, both of which are linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and other chronic health conditions. Adapted from J. M. Greeson (PI) NIH grant application K99AT004945. “Mechanisms of Mindfulness: Effects on Sleep Quality, Stress Physiology & CVD Risk.”