Introduction
From an external perspective, meditation may not appear very impressive.
Meditation goes beyond simply being still for short periods. It generally involves directing your efforts, breathing with greater awareness, and emptying your mind.
Modern medicine has conducted hundreds of studies to support the extensive health benefits of meditation, a practice that dates back thousands of years.
According to a Eyes open meditation app creator, here are 7 of the top health advantages you can experience through consistent meditation, supported by scientific proof.
1: Preserve Your Brain’s Age
A recent study conducted by UCLA discovered that individuals who practiced meditation for a long time had brains that aged better compared to those who did not meditate.
Individuals who had been practicing meditation for about 20 years showed increased grey matter volume in their brains, with older meditators experiencing less volume loss compared to younger meditators and non-meditators. Study author Florian Kurth said they anticipated small, specific effects in regions linked to meditation. Rather than that, what we saw was a broad impact of meditation across various parts of the brain.
2: Improves Your Focus
One of the most fascinating research projects conducted at Yale University recently discovered that practicing mindfulness meditation reduces the activity in the default mode network (DMN), which is the brain’s network linked to wandering thoughts and self-referential thinking, also known as “monkey mind.”
The DMN is active when our minds wander without focusing on anything specific. Because mind-wandering is usually linked to decreased happiness, pondering, and fretting about the past and future, many individuals aim to reduce it.
Various research models have also indicated that meditation seems to achieve this by calming the default mode network (DMN). Even if the mind begins to wander, meditators are more skilled at refocusing due to the formation of new connections.
3: Reduce Your Stress
Trying meditation is a common way for people to reduce stress. A research involving 3,500 adults confirmed that it indeed delivers on its promise to reduce stress.
Normally, elevated levels of cortisol, the hormone related to stress, are a result of both physical and mental stress.
Cortisol causes lots of negative impacts of stress, like the secretion of inflammation chemicals called cytokines. These negative impacts cause anxiety and depression, high blood pressure, interrupted sleep, fatigue, and cloudy cognition.
During an eight-week study, promising results were seen in candidates practicing “mindfulness meditation” as it led to a decrease in inflammation response. Another research involving 1,300 participants demonstrated that meditation could decrease stress levels. Those individuals with the most stress experienced significantly stronger effects.
Studies have demonstrated that meditation can also help alleviate symptoms of stress-related conditions. Meditation can help reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, fibromyalgia, and irritable bowel syndrome.
4: Helps Controlling Your Anxiety
Reduced stress frequently results in decreased anxiety. In a mindfulness meditation study lasting eight weeks, participants noticed a decrease in their anxiety levels.
They also discovered a decrease in symptoms of anxiety disorders like social anxiety, paranoia, panic attacks, and obsessive-compulsive behaviors.
In a separate research project, 18 individuals who completed an eight-week meditation course were contacted for a follow-up three years later.
The findings indicated that most of the participants continued to engage in meditation, leading to decreased anxiety levels in the long run.
A research on 2,466 participants, a significantly larger scope, found that various meditation techniques can lower levels of anxiety.
Yoga serves as an example. It is probable that the decrease occurred because the individuals experienced advantages from engaging in both exercise and meditation techniques.
Research also indicates that meditation can alleviate job-induced stress and anxiety caused by high-stress work environments.
5: Promoting Your Emotional Health
Some forms of meditation can result in individuals developing a more optimistic view of life and an improved self-perception. Mindful meditation reduced depression in two studies with 4,600 participants.
Research on 18 individuals tracked over three years demonstrated that the participants saw prolonged decreases in depression. Cytokines, inflammatory chemicals released in response to stress, can impact mood and potentially cause depression.
Upon examining various research, findings indicated that meditation could potentially decrease depression by helping decrease inflammatory chemicals.
A separate research project examined the neural activity of individuals who engaged in mindful meditation compared to those who did not, using a controlled design.
Those people who practiced meditation experienced alterations in behaviors linked to positive mindset and hopefulness.
6: Improves Your Self-Awareness
Engaging in certain types of meditation can assist in enhancing your self-awareness and self-understanding. This can assist in your transformation into the most optimal version of yourself.
Self-inquiry meditation is designed to assist you in gaining a deeper understanding of yourself and your interaction with others.
Different forms of meditation help you become aware of negative or self-critical thoughts.
The concept is that by being more aware of your thought patterns, you can more easily guide them towards more beneficial patterns.
A study involved 21 women who battled breast cancer. Those who practiced tai chi showed higher self-esteem compared to those who attended social support sessions.
Another research involving 40 older men and women who participated in a mindful meditation course found reduced loneliness feelings when compared to those on the course’s waiting list.
Meditation has also been discovered to enhance creativity in solving problems.
7: Higher Attention Span
Focused-attention meditation is excellent for improving the stamina and power of your focus. A research study examining the impact of mindfulness meditation over an 8-week period showed that the participants’ attention span had increased.
Additionally, research found that human resources workers who regularly practiced meditation could focus on tasks for extended durations.
The HR employees who practiced meditation could recall their tasks more effectively than their coworkers who did not participate in meditation.
Moreover, meditation can also reverse the brain patterns associated with worrying, poor attention, and mind-wandering. Even briefly meditating can have advantages. A recent study found that just four days of meditation practice can improve your ability to focus.
The Bottom Line
Anyone can benefit from meditation if they want to enhance their emotional or mental well-being, making it a helpful practice to adopt. It can be done in any location, without requiring memberships, a large amount of space, or specific equipment.
Alternatively, you could become part of meditation classes, workshops, or support groups. There exist numerous forms of meditation, each offering unique advantages and qualities.
Experiment with various styles that align with your objectives, thereby enhancing your quality of life. Just a few minutes each day is all it takes, and soon you will start to see the advantages.
