Mindfulness, Affect, and Sleep: Current Perspectives and Future Directions

Mindfulness is the quality of bringing attention to one's experience of the present moment without judgment or attachment to outcomes. Clinical interventions have incorporated the practice of mindfulness meditation in order to more effectively decrease perceived stress and to regulate emotional reactivity associated with a broad range of clinical and nonclinical conditions, including sleep disturbance and disorders. This chapter provides an introduction to the concept of mindfulness; discusses the evidence that mindfulness-based interventions influence sleep and affect; examines theoretical models of the relationships between mindfulness, affect, and sleep; and provides directions for future investigation.