Each month our editorial team sifts through hundreds of papers and curates notable findings—for practitioners and informed readers who want to stay current with the evidence. Subscribe to the monthly Research Digest for expert analysis and concise summaries of key papers.
4 papers
This review combined results from 10 intervention studies to see if physical activity programs change cortisol (a stress hormone) and sleep in adults. The pooled results found lower cortisol after activity programs and some improvement in sleep quality. The authors say the evidence is moderate for cortisol and low for…
This systematic review of research up to 2024 found that meditation and mindfulness are linked to measurable brain changes and to better emotional regulation, cognition, and stress resilience. Many studies report thicker cortex in certain areas, lower amygdala reactivity, changes in brain connectivity and neurotransmitters, and improvements in anxiety, depression,…
This review looked at 34 studies that tested cannabidiol (CBD) for sleep problems. Some studies used mostly CBD and others used CBD with similar amounts of THC. Many studies reported that at least some participants had better sleep, but very few studies focused only on people with insomnia and most…
The authors reviewed 57 studies of medicinal cannabis for adults with anxiety disorders. Many studies—including over 90% that looked at CBD or THC—reported reduced anxiety symptoms, but the overall study quality was low (mean bias score 62.9/100) and long-term benefits and effects on quality of life are unclear. The review…
