Effects of mindfulness on perceived stress levels and heart rate variability

Mindfulness has become increasingly popular as a method for building resilience against stress in both clinical and healthy populations. This study sought to investigate the effects of mindfulness training on perceived levels of stress and heart rate variability in students. Thirteen Westminster University undergraduates enrolled in the Clinical Applications of Mindfulness module undertook an eight-week mindfulness training course and their stress levels were measured before and after the course using the Perceived Stress Scale and emWave2® heart rate variability biofeedback device. A case study also examined one participant’s data in further depth. In contrast to earlier research, there was a slight increase in perceived stress scores after training. There was also an unexpected slight reduction in heart rate variability scores. However, the results were not statistically significant and no definitive conclusions can be inferred from this study about the efficacy or otherwise of mindfulness as an intervention for stress. Nevertheless, mindfulness remains an interesting line of enquiry, and suggestions for future research are proposed.