Level of Aggression, Sleep Quality and Resilience During Perimenopause: A Comparative Study Between Women Who Practice Heartfulness Meditation and Those Who Don’t

Abstract

Background– Every woman experiences various changes in her body during the perimenopausal transition. The symptoms are not solely physical. Several psychological symptoms, like irritability, sleep difficulties etc., have seen to hamper the woman’s overall wellbeing. It is also seen that women who are more resilient, cope with the challenges associated with perimenopause better than the ones who have lower resilience. Mindfulness based meditative techniques have already established themselves as promising tools to reduce psychological discomfort. Effectiveness of Heartfulness meditation, too, is being scientifically established in increasing sleep quality and overall wellbeing of an individual. Aim- To compare the level of aggression, sleep quality and resilience between perimenopausal women who practice Heartfulness meditation and those who don’t. Method- 85 women (practicing Heartfulness, N= 43 and not practicing meditation, N= 42), belonging to different states of India, participated in the present non-experimental, cross-sectional- comparative research. The age range of the population was 45-55 years (mean age 48.59 years). Aggression Questionnaire, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Nicholson McBride Resilience Questionnaire were used for the assessment. Result- The study found a statistically significant difference in the scores of aggressions, sleep quality and resilience between perimenopausal women who practice Heartfulness meditation and those who don’t. Conclusion- Findings of the present research can be of use to psychologists and other health professionals in understanding how Heartfulness practice can help women cope with perimenopausal symptoms better. This practice could be an effective non-pharmaceutical tool to reduce psychological discomfort, like increased aggression, irritability and sleep discomfort, and can potentially increasing resilience in women during perimenopause.