Mindfulness Meditation Versus Physical Exercise: Comparing Effects on Stress and Immunocompetence

Mindfulness Meditation vs. Physical Exercise as Internal Recovery Strategies: Study on Comparative Effects on Stress, Fatigue, Burnout, Sleep Quality and Immunocompetence. A Randomized Controlled Trial

The objective of this research project is to examine if including mindfulness meditation or physical exercise at lunch break improve workers' recovery from work stress. Therefore, 72 workers included either mindfulness meditation or physical exercise during their lunchbreaks for a month in order to find out if these recovery strategies have more favorable outcomes than usually spent lunch breaks concerning: a) psychological detachment, b) perceived stress, c) general health, d) burnout, e) fatigue, f) quality of sleep, g) cortisol awakening response and h) immunocompetence.

The investigators conduct an intervention study in a sample of 72 knowledge-workers, who engaged in mindfulness meditation or physical activities for five weeks. They performed from 15 to 30 minutes during their lunch breaks. The investigators randomly assigned participants to three experimental conditions: 1) mindfulness meditation, 2) physical activity, 3) control group (lunch break as usual). Online questionnaires before and after intervention assessed long term changes regarding recovery processes, perceived stress, health, mindfulness and burnout. For daily changes, a mobile application was developed to assess changes once per day immediately after work. The investigators also collect saliva samples to map cortisol and immunoglobulin A excretion across the intervention period. The investigators had two follow-up measures one and six months after the intervention.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Knowledge-workers of an specific company with similar stress level.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Serious illness
• Regular meditation
• Regular physical exercise