OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of self-help mindfulness-based stress reduction exercise therapeutics (MBSRET) on the psychological status and sleep quality of medical staff. METHOD: A total of 85 Hubei medical staff were randomly divided into an intervention group (n = 43) and a control group (n = 42). The intervention group received MBSRET for 8 weeks and the control group received routine care. Psychological status and sleep were assessed using the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) before and after the intervention. RESULT: After the intervention, SCL-90, PSS, and PSQI scores were significantly lower in the control group ( < 0.001 for all), indicating that MBSRET could effectively improve the psychological status and sleep quality of Hubei medical staff. CONCLUSIONS: Mindfulness-based stress reduction exercise therapy is a simple, convenient, and low-cost intervention method that can be widely applied to improve the mental health care of medical staff during public health emergencies. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was registered at https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN84911422, registration number: ISRCTN84911422.