Impact of Mindfulness Training on Physiological Measures of Stress and Objective Measures of Attention Control in a Military Helicopter Unit

Objective: This study sought to determine if mindfulness training (MT) has a measurable impact on stress and attentional control as measured by objective physiological and psychological means. Background: Periods of persistent, intensive work demands are known to compromise recovery and attentional capacity. The effects of 4-month MT on salivary cortisol and performance on 2 computer-based cognitive tasks were tested on a military helicopter unit exposed to a prolonged period of high workload. Methods: MT participants were compared to a wait list control group on levels of saliva cortisol and performance on a go–no go test and a test of stimulus-driven attentional capture. Participants also reported mental demands on the go–no go test, time of wakeup, sleep duration, quality of sleep, outcome expectancies, physical activity level, self-perceived mindfulness, and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Results: The results from a mixed between–within analysis revealed that the MT participants compared to the control group had a larger pre to post increase in high- and low-cortisol slopes, and decrease in perceived mental demand imposed by the go–no go test. Conclusion: MT alleviates some of the physiological stress response and the subjective mental demands of challenging tasks in a military helicopter unit during a period of high workload

Chapter 9 Sammenhengen mellom mindfulness og eksekutiv funksjon hos profesjonelle fotballspillere

"Mindfulness has become a popular tool for athletes, but the knowledge about the exact associations between trait mindfulness and key performance variables are lacking. This is especially problematic for athletes competing at a higher level where minor costs of a trait or an intervention could easily outweigh the benefits. In this study we investigated the association between self-reported level of mindfulness and performance on two PC based tests of inhibitory control on forty-two professional soccer players. The results showed that the observation facet of mindfulness was associated with better performance on one of the tests, while the non-judgement facet was associated with lower performance on both tests due to more impulsive responding. These findings suggest that trait mindfulness and inhibitory control is related, but that the relationship may not only be beneficial.""En høy grad av mindfulness anses for å være fordelaktig for idrettsutøvere, og mindfulness-trening har derfor blitt en populær metode innenfor prestasjonsutvikling. Dette til tross for at kunnskapen om sammenhengen mellom å være mindful og viktige prestasjonsvariabler er mangelfull. Dette er særlig et problem for trenere og idrettsutøvere som konkurrerer på det høyeste nivået, der eventuelle ulemper ved mindfulness lett kan utkonkurrere fordelene. I denne studien undersøkte vi sammenhengen mellom selvopplevd grad av fem ulike fasetter av mindfulness og prestasjon på to ulike PC-baserte tester på inhibitorisk kontroll hos 42 profesjonelle fotballspillere. Resultatene viste at observasjonsfasetten av mindfulness var assosiert med bedre prestasjon på én av testene, og at fasetten som måler grad av ikke-dømming, var assosiert med svakere prestasjon på begge PC-testene på grunn av mer impulsiv respons. Disse funnene tyder på at mindfulness og eksekutiv funksjon henger sammen, men at sammenhengen kanskje ikke bare er fordelaktig.

Chapter 9 Sammenhengen mellom mindfulness og eksekutiv funksjon hos profesjonelle fotballspillere

"Mindfulness has become a popular tool for athletes, but the knowledge about the exact associations between trait mindfulness and key performance variables are lacking. This is especially problematic for athletes competing at a higher level where minor costs of a trait or an intervention could easily outweigh the benefits. In this study we investigated the association between self-reported level of mindfulness and performance on two PC based tests of inhibitory control on forty-two professional soccer players. The results showed that the observation facet of mindfulness was associated with better performance on one of the tests, while the non-judgement facet was associated with lower performance on both tests due to more impulsive responding. These findings suggest that trait mindfulness and inhibitory control is related, but that the relationship may not only be beneficial.