Meditation is an age-old practice that improves your focus and channelizes your thoughts. The popularity of meditation is rising as the health benefits of meditation are unfathomable.
People are incorporating meditation into their healthcare regime to increase awareness of themselves and their surroundings. In this article, we are going to discuss the best uses of meditation in your daily life.
Meditation Benefits for Brain
Let’s take a look at some meditation benefits for the brain.
1. Minimizes Stress
Meditation is very beneficial in reducing stress. The hormone cortisol is responsible for your mental and physical stress. This develops many of the baleful effects of stress, such as the release of inflammatory chemicals called cytokines.
These effects disturb your sleep, increase depression and anxiety, uplift the level of blood pressure and induce fatigue and shabby thinking. Several studies have claimed that meditation improves various symptoms of stress-related conditions, like irritable bowel syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder, and fibromyalgia.
2. Controls Anxiety
Meditation minimizes your stress and thus, controls your anxiety. A study was conducted on 1,300 people and it was revealed that meditation reduces anxiety. Another study was conducted on 47 people who were suffering from chronic pain, and it was found that after the completion of the 8-week meditation program, there were noticeable improvements in depression, anxiety, and pain.
3. Improves Self-Awareness
Meditation helps you to understand yourself in a better way. Thus, it improves self-esteem and helps you to learn how to deal with a situation. Meditation helps you to recognize thoughts that can be harmful or self-defeating.
Nearly 27 studies have revealed that practicing Tai Chi meditation will improve self-efficacy (a person’s belief in his/her capacities to overcome challenges). Moreover, meditation helps you in building problem-solving skills.
4. Fight Addiction
Meditation modifies the brain receptors that are associated with drug and alcohol addiction. This indicates meditation reduces cravings for certain substances. Moreover, meditation enhances your awareness of cravings and inspires you to manage them in a better way.
A study was published in 2018 in substance abuse and rehabilitation and it was found that practicing meditation prevents future relapses for people with a substance use disorder. Meditation creates a therapeutic effect that controls how the brain experiences desire.
5. Lessens Age-Related Memory Loss
Meditation improves your attention and instills positive thoughts in you.
Kirtan Kriya is a type of meditation that comes up with a mantra or chant with repetitive motion. Several studies were conducted on people with age-related memory loss and it was revealed that this mantra improves their performance on neuropsychological tests. Meditation also improved attention, memory, and mental sharpness in older volunteers.
Meditation is also beneficial in improving memory in patients with dementia. It manages stress and improves people to cope with dementia.
6. Improves Sleep
In our present lifestyle, many people are suffering from sleeping problems, insomnia. A study proved that people who meditated stayed asleep longer and had improved the severity of insomnia as compared to those who didn’t perform meditation. Meditation relaxes your body, releases tension, and puts you in a tranquil state in which you will certainly fall asleep.
Physical Benefits of Meditation
Now, check out some of the physical benefits of meditation.
1. Minimizes Your Blood Pressure
Meditation is useful for your physical health by minimizing strain on the heart. High blood pressure makes it difficult for your heart to pump blood. High blood pressure is also responsible for atherosclerosis, or a narrowing of the arteries that can cause a heart attack or stroke.
12 medical studies were conducted on 1000 participants and it was revealed that meditation reduced blood pressure. This was more beneficial on older volunteers and people who had blood pressure before the study. Meditation also regulates your blood pressure by relaxing the nerve signals that synchronize heart function, blood vessel tension, and the “fight-or-flight” response that enhances alertness in traumatic conditions.
2. Controls Your Pain
The pain is related to your state of mind. It gets aggravated under stressful scenarios. Several studies have claimed that including meditation in your daily routine could be beneficial for controlling pain. Meditation reduces pain, uplifts the quality of life, and minimizes depression symptoms for people who are suffering from chronic pain. A study was conducted on 3,500 participants and it was concluded that meditation decreased chronic pain.
3. Strengthens Your Immune System
The immune system is a pivotal part of your body. This system helps you to fight against several diseases and protects your body from foreign particles. A study was conducted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2003 and it was noticed that meditation improved the immune system function of meditators. A stronger immune system produces long-lasting changes within the brain.
4. Improves Women’s Health
During the phase of the menstrual cycle, 90% of women experienced some physical and emotional changes. Some symptoms that they may experience at this time are irritability, concentration problems, appetite changes, depression, fatigue, and anxiety. Meditation supports women in managing their symptoms. A study was conducted by the University of North Carolina on women who suffer from menstrual-related problems and it was revealed that participants who completed a course of meditation experienced better pain tolerance and emotional pliability.
The Bottom Line
Meditation is safe for most people and it offers several mental and physical benefits. You can perform it anywhere without any training or equipment. Incorporate the practice of meditation into your daily routine to improve your quality of life.
