People who practice TM do so by reciting mentally a polysyllabic word or sound in Sanskrit, called a mantra, for 20 minutes as they focus inward on relaxing and stilling their mind to de-stress and rejuvenate themselves.
"The results of this study indicate that transcendental meditation can be effective in improving the functional capacity and quality of life of congestive heart failure patients," Ravishankar Jayadevappa, PhD, lead author and Research Assistant Professor in Penn's Division of Geriatric Medicine, said in a statement. "These results also suggest long-term improvements in survival in these individuals."
The study authors say TM probably improves heart failure by reducing sympathetic nervous system activation that is associated with stress and stress is a known contributor to heart failure.
The finding from this study is consistent with previous research on TM's effect on heart disease.
One of those past studies was done at the University of California and published in Stroke in 2000. In that study, researchers found that practicing TM 20 minutes twice a day decreased the participant's artery wall thickness, according to tests by ultrasound.
That could reduce heart attack risk by up to 11 percent and stroke risk by up to 15 percent. The control group, which did not practice TM and received only standard medical interventions did not experience a decline in their artery wall thickness, according to Prevention magazine reports at the time.
