Research on TM and Insomnia

Recent surveys by the Wounded Warrior Project have found sleep disturbance to be the single biggest problem cited by veterans. The hyper-vigilance associated with posttraumatic stress (PTS) undermines the ability to sleep deeply and for extended periods of time. More generally, stress undermines sleep. The growing prevalence of stress in our society today accounts for the fact that nearly half the adult U.S. population reports occasional insomnia and 10% has chronic insomnia.

Scientific research indicates that the Transcendental Meditation® (TM) technique reduces insomnia by approximately 30% to 65% as measured by a standard scale. Veterans with PTS report that improvement in sleep is one of the first benefits of TM® practice, with improvement often coming within the first several days of learning the technique. New findings from a cohort of 143 veterans funded by the Wounded Warrior Project to learn TM found a 26% improvement in sleep on the MOS Sleep Scale in the first month of TM practice.

Improved Sleep Quality in Executives and Workers

Through the Transcendental Meditation Technique

Improved sleep quality in executives and workers through the Transcendental Meditation technique
A study of executives and workers in the automotive industry found that after three months of regular practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique, participants showed improved sleep quality in comparison to controls from the same work sites. More >

Improved Sleep Quality in Prison Inmates

Improved Sleep Quality in Prison Inmates
A 3-month study of inmates at Folsom maximum security prison found that TM practice reduced the time to fall asleep, increased deep sleep with no waking, and resulted in a better trend of recent sleep. More >
“After my first week of meditation I was able to sleep. It’s like I was living in a fog of war and TM cleared the fog, allowing me to see things clearly. My day to day functions became clearer.”
—Vietnam War Veteran

“I would like to give you an update on how I am doing with TM. To date, I have not missed a meditation session…So far, my results from TM have been beyond anything I expected. I have gone from averaging 3 hours sleep a night to roughly 5 or 6. While that may seem insufficient for most people, to a PTSD sufferer who battles insomnia that is a huge step.”
—Iraq War Veteran