Meditation and its regulatory role on sleep

Front Neurol. 2012 Apr 18:3:54. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2012.00054. eCollection 2012.

Abstract

Intense meditation practices help to achieve a harmony between body and mind. Meditation practices influence brain functions, induce various intrinsic neural plasticity events, modulate autonomic, metabolic, endocrine, and immune functions and thus mediate global regulatory changes in various behavioral states including sleep. This brief review focuses on the effect of meditation as a self regulatory phenomenon on sleep.

Keywords: autonomic activity; brain functions; endocrine functions; meditation; neural plasticity; sleep.