Meditation Practice

Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years and has gained significant scientific attention in recent decades. Research suggests regular meditation may improve attention, reduce stress, and enhance emotional regulation. Despite the growing body of evidence supporting meditation's benefits, I want to test these effects personally and quantify the impact on my own cognitive function, stress levels, and overall well-being.

Hypothesis

I hypothesize that implementing a daily 20-minute meditation practice for 90 days will:

• Reduce subjective stress levels by at least 20% as measured by standardized stress assessments
• Improve sustained attention and focus during deep work sessions by at least 15%
• Enhance emotional regulation, resulting in fewer stress reactions and more measured responses to challenges
• Improve sleep quality metrics as measured by sleep tracking
• Lead to measurable changes in physiological markers of stress (HRV, resting heart rate)

Protocol

This experiment will follow a structured approach:

• Baseline Period (Current Phase): 2 weeks of data collection without meditation to establish baseline metrics for all measurements
• Intervention Period: 90 days of daily meditation practice
  • 20-minute guided meditation sessions each morning
  • Using a combination of mindfulness and focused attention techniques
  • Consistent time (5:30-6:00 AM) and environment for practice
  • Gradual progression from guided to unguided sessions
• Follow-up Period: 2 weeks of continued measurement after the intervention to assess lasting effects

I'll use the Waking Up app by Sam Harris for guided sessions, as it provides a structured course based on both traditional meditation techniques and modern neuroscience. The app also includes tracking features to monitor consistency.

Measurements

To quantify the effects of meditation practice, I'll track:

• Subjective Measures:
  • Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) assessment weekly
  • Daily mood ratings (1-10 scale, morning and evening)
  • Focus and productivity self-ratings during work sessions
  • Emotional reactivity log (tracking significant emotional reactions)
• Objective Measures:
  • Heart Rate Variability (HRV) measured each morning
  • Sleep metrics via Oura ring (duration, efficiency, REM, deep sleep)
  • Sustained attention performance using digital cognitive tests
  • Work output metrics (deep work hours, tasks completed)

This experiment is informed by a substantial body of scientific research on meditation's effects:

Neurological Effects

Studies by Lazar et al. (2005) and Hölzel et al. (2011) have shown that regular meditation practice is associated with changes in brain structure, particularly in regions involved in attention, sensory processing, and self-awareness. A meta-analysis by Fox et al. (2014) identified consistent alterations in eight brain regions among long-term meditators.

Stress Reduction

Research by Goyal et al. (2014) found moderate evidence that mindfulness meditation programs can reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and pain. Creswell et al. (2019) demonstrated that even brief meditation training (25 minutes for three consecutive days) reduced psychological stress reactivity.

Cognitive Function

A review by Tang et al. (2015) concluded that meditation training improves various aspects of attention and executive function. Zeidan et al. (2010) found that just four days of meditation training significantly improved visuo-spatial processing, working memory, and executive functioning.

Physiological Effects

Research by Pascoe et al. (2017) showed that meditation practices are associated with reduced cortisol levels, blood pressure, heart rate, and inflammatory markers. Krygier et al. (2013) demonstrated increased heart rate variability during mindfulness meditation, indicating improved autonomic function.

While these studies provide compelling evidence for meditation's benefits, individual responses vary significantly. This experiment will help determine the specific effects and optimal approach for my particular neurophysiology and lifestyle.