Meditation-induced changes in high-frequency heart rate variability predict smoking outcomes

Background: high-frequency heart rate variability (hf-hrv) is a measure of parasympathetic nervous system (pns) output that has been associated with enhanced self-regulation. low resting levels of hf-hrv are associated with nicotine dependence and blunted stress-related changes in hf-hrv are associated with decreased ability to resist smoking. meditation has been shown to increase hf-hrv. however,it is unknown whether tonic levels of hf-hrv or acute changes in hf-hrv during meditation predict treatment responses in addictive behaviors such as smoking cessation. purpose: to investigate the relationship between hf-hrv and subsequent smoking outcomes. methods: hf-hrv during resting baseline and during mindfulness meditation was measured within two weeks of completing a 4-week smoking cessation intervention in a sample of 31 community participants. self-report measures of smoking were obtained at a follow up 17-weeks after the initiation of treatment. results: regression analyses indicated that individuals exhibiting acute increases in hf-hrv from resting baseline to meditation smoked fewer cigarettes at follow-up than those who exhibited acute decreases in hf-hrv (b = -4.89,p = 0.008). conclusion: acute changes in hf-hrv in response to meditation may be a useful tool to predict smoking cessation treatment response. © 2012 libby,worhunsky,pilver and brewer.