Better Sleep can Improve Mindfulness the Next Day

Getting an extra 29 minutes of sleep every night can be the key to improving mindfulness, a vital resource that provides benefits for daily well-being and work performance, reports a new study. The findings of the study are published in the journal Sleep Health. Mindfulness is obtained by purposefully bringing an individual's awareness and attention to experiences occurring in the present moment without forming an opinion. In contrast to previous investigations, a new study examined how multiple dimensions of nighttime sleep can affect daily mindfulness rather than just concentrating on sleep quality or duration.

The study, conducted by the University of South Florida, found that better sleep improves next-day mindfulness, which in turn decreases sleepiness during the day. The study focused on nurses, the largest group of health professionals whose need for optimal sleep and mindful attention is particularly high. Sleep issues are common in this population due to long shifts, lack of situational control, and closeness to life-threatening health conditions. The optimal sleep health and mindful attention are particularly important as they are at the frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"One can be awake and alert, but not certainly mindful. Similarly, one can be tired or in low arousal but still can be mindful," stated lead author Soomi Lee, assistant professor of aging studies at USF.

Lee and her colleagues followed 61 nurses for two weeks, examining various sleep health characteristics. Daily alertness contributed to less same-day sleepiness. Those with more alertness were 66 percent less likely to encounter symptoms of insomnia during the two-week study period.

The researchers reached these conclusions by using different tools to measure how much participants were mindful every day and how their mental states were affected by sleep. Participants were asked to answer questions regarding mindfulness and sleepiness three times a day for two weeks using the RealLife Exp smartphone application.

Findings from this research provide insight into developing a behavioral health intervention strategy for a broader array of healthcare workers who require better sleep and mindful attention. Given the connection between mindful attention and better patient care, improving sleep in this population could provide important benefits to patient health outcomes as well.

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Source-Medindia