
Meditation has been practised for thousands of years, but psychologists and neuroscientists have only studied its effects for a few decades. Despite this, it has become a billion-dollar business, with apps like Headspace and Calm bringing it to people's smartphones.
Meditation is often celebrated as a therapeutic tool to help ease stress, anxiety, depression, addiction and chronic pain. It is also used to enhance human performance, and has found its way into classrooms, businesses, and sports locker rooms.
Some studies have shown that meditation can help people relax, manage chronic stress, and reduce reliance on pain medication. However, many of these studies have used small numbers of subjects and lacked follow-up.
There is also evidence to suggest that meditation can produce measurable changes in the brain. For example, one study found that long-term meditators had more grey matter volume throughout the brain than non-meditators. Another study showed that eight weeks of mindfulness-based stress reduction increased cortical thickness in the hippocampus, which governs learning and memory.
Meditation has also been shown to be effective in treating depression. Randomised controlled trials have shown that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, which combines meditation with psychotherapy, significantly reduces the risk of depression relapse in individuals who have had three or more major depressive episodes.
Overall, while the scientific evidence for the benefits of meditation is still emerging, there is a growing body of research that suggests it can be a powerful tool for improving mental and physical health.
Characteristics | Values |
---|---|
Stress reduction | Decreases levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which can disrupt sleep, promote depression and anxiety, increase blood pressure, and contribute to fatigue and cloudy thinking. |
Anxiety reduction | Decreases anxiety, especially in those with the highest levels of anxiety. |
Improved sleep | Helps treat insomnia and promotes healthy sleep patterns. |
Improved mood | Promotes emotional health and enhances mood. |
Improved concentration | Lengthens attention span and improves focus. |
Improved self-awareness | Enhances self-awareness and self-image. |
Improved memory | May reduce age-related memory loss and improve memory in patients with dementia. |
Improved physical health | Can decrease blood pressure and control pain. |
Accessibility | Can be practiced anywhere, without specialised equipment or space. |
What You'll Learn
Meditation alleviates stress and anxiety
Meditation has been shown to have a positive impact on mental health, particularly in reducing stress and anxiety. It is a practice that involves training your mind to focus and redirect your thoughts, and it is becoming increasingly popular due to its many health benefits.
Stress Reduction
Meditation has been found to reduce stress levels, which in turn helps to lower anxiety. This is one of the most common reasons people turn to meditation. Chronic stress can lead to increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which can have harmful effects on the body and mind, such as the release of inflammatory chemicals called cytokines. These chemicals can disrupt sleep, promote depression and anxiety, increase blood pressure, and contribute to fatigue and cloudy thinking.
Meditation practices, such as mindfulness meditation, have been shown to reduce the body's inflammation response to stress. An 8-week study found that mindfulness meditation reduced inflammation caused by stress and improved symptoms of stress-related conditions, including irritable bowel syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder, and fibromyalgia.
Anxiety Reduction
In addition to reducing stress, meditation has been found to directly decrease anxiety. A meta-analysis of nearly 1,300 adults found that meditation may reduce anxiety, with the strongest effects seen in those with the highest levels of anxiety. Another study of 47 individuals with chronic pain found that an 8-week meditation program led to improvements in depression, anxiety, and pain over a year.
Meditation has also been found to be effective in reducing job-related anxiety. One study showed that employees who used a mindfulness meditation app for 8 weeks experienced improved well-being and reduced distress and job strain compared to a control group.
Mechanisms of Stress and Anxiety Reduction
The practice of meditation helps to create space between yourself and what you are experiencing, allowing you to observe and acknowledge your thoughts and feelings without getting caught up in them. This can help to reduce the intensity of difficult emotions and improve your ability to manage them.
Meditation also increases self-awareness and understanding of yourself and your thought patterns. By recognizing unhelpful thought patterns, you can begin to steer your thoughts towards more constructive patterns, improving your overall outlook and emotional health.
Furthermore, meditation has been found to produce physical changes in the brain that may contribute to its stress and anxiety-reducing effects. For example, one study found that long-term meditators had greater volumes of grey matter in their brains, which is associated with improved cognitive function. Another study showed that mindfulness meditation decreased activity in the default mode network (DMN) of the brain, which is associated with mind-wandering and self-referential thoughts that can contribute to unhappiness and worry.
Meditation has been scientifically proven to alleviate stress and anxiety and improve overall well-being. Through regular practice, individuals can learn to manage their thoughts and emotions more effectively, leading to a reduction in the negative impacts of stress and anxiety on their lives.
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It can help fight addictions
Meditation can be a powerful tool in fighting addictions. It helps individuals gain mental discipline, increase self-control, and develop a better understanding of the triggers for addictive behaviours. By practising meditation, people can learn to redirect their attention, manage their emotions and impulses, and increase their awareness of the underlying causes of their addictions.
Mindfulness meditation
Mindfulness meditation is one of the simplest techniques, yet it is highly effective. It involves sitting up straight, with your spine, neck, and head in one line, and your hands placed comfortably. You then allow your thoughts and sensations to wander in and out of your body without labelling them as good or bad. If you find your mind wandering, you can refocus your attention on your breath. This technique helps to reinforce awareness and observe your thoughts and sensations—things that addicted people often fail to do.
Breathing meditation
Breathing meditation is a practice that calms the mind and cultivates inner peace. To do this, you sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes, and concentrate on your breath. Inhale deeply and exhale slowly, relaxing your muscles. Pay careful attention to your breathing, feeling the air coming in and out through your nostrils. If your mind wanders, gently bring your focus back to your breath. This technique helps to calm racing thoughts and redirect your attention, making it an effective way to deal with old drug-related thoughts.
Walking meditation
Walking meditation, recommended by Buddha himself, involves immersing yourself in nature and achieving a sense of unity with your surroundings. To practise this, find a natural setting like a garden, forest, lake, or river. You can walk, run, or ride a bicycle, focusing on the movement of your feet. As you take each step, imagine negative energy leaving and positive energy filling the vacant space. Pay attention to the various processes in your body, such as muscle contractions and relaxations, the air moving in and out, and the blood flowing through your veins. Typically, 10-15 minutes is enough for a walking meditation session.
Scientific support
The benefits of meditation in addiction treatment have been supported by scientific research. A 2006 study by the University of Washington provided preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of mindfulness meditation in treating substance use disorders. Additionally, a study published on the NIH website suggested that meditation practices could be a valuable adjunctive therapy for relapse prevention in alcohol dependence.
Meditation has been found to stimulate the prefrontal cortex, the brain's happiness centre, which is often underactive during withdrawal. A 2005 study by Dr Sara Lazar revealed that meditators exhibited greater neural density, cortical thickness, and overall activity within the prefrontal cortex. This indicates that meditation can train the brain to experience happiness and a "natural high" without relying on substances.
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It may reduce age-related memory loss
Meditation may help to reduce age-related memory loss. The Kirtan Kriya method, which combines chanting with finger movements, has been shown to improve performance on neuropsychological tests in people with age-related memory loss.
A review of multiple meditation styles found preliminary evidence that meditation can increase attention, memory, and mental quickness in older people.
Meditation has also been shown to improve attention and clarity of thinking, which may help to keep the mind young. For example, one study found that just 13 minutes of daily meditation enhanced attention and memory after eight weeks.
Meditation may also help to fight normal age-related memory loss and dementia, and improve stress and coping skills in those caring for family members with dementia.
In addition, a study from UCLA found that long-term meditators had better-preserved brains than non-meditators as they aged. Participants who had been meditating for an average of 20 years had more grey matter volume throughout the brain.
Overall, meditation may be a useful tool to reduce age-related memory loss and improve cognitive function in older adults.
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It can help control pain
Meditation can be a great tool for easing pain and reducing stress. While it can't take the pain away, it can help us calm down so we can observe sensations in our body, including pain. This might help us relax and accept discomfort.
Observing and accepting discomfort may help increase your tolerance for pain. This is because when you meditate, you are relaxing your mind and body, and that leads to the release of endorphins or 'feel-good' hormones.
A review of 38 studies concluded that mindfulness meditation could reduce pain, improve quality of life, and decrease symptoms of depression in people with chronic pain. A large meta-analysis of studies enrolling nearly 3,500 participants concluded that meditation was associated with decreased pain.
Meditators and non-meditators experienced the same causes of pain, but meditators showed a greater ability to cope with pain and even experienced a reduced sensation of pain. Meditation can diminish the perception of pain in the brain. This may help treat chronic pain when used to supplement medical care or physical therapy.
Harvard Health Publishing recommends the body scan mindfulness exercise as the best form of mindfulness meditation for pain conditions. The goal of the body scan is not to relieve the pain completely but to get to know it and learn from it so you can manage it.
- Lie on your back or in any comfortable, outstretched position.
- Close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Feel your belly gently expanding when you inhale and receding when you exhale.
- Focus on your left foot. Feel any and all sensations in this area, including pain. Try to recede a little more into the floor every time you exhale.
- When your mind wanders, observe where it has gone and gently return your focus to the foot without judging yourself.
- If you notice pain, acknowledge it and any thoughts or emotions that accompany it, and gently breathe through it. See if by carefully observing the discomfort, you can help your body relax. Don't expect the pain to go away; just watch it with a mindful but non-judging mind.
- Gradually, let go of the focus on your left foot completely—even if any pain there hasn't gone away or has intensified—and move on to the left ankle and repeat the process.
- Slowly and patiently, proceed this way throughout the body.
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It can decrease blood pressure
Meditation: A Tool to Decrease Blood Pressure
Meditation has been shown to offer many benefits, from improving mental health to enhancing physical health. One of the most notable physical health benefits of meditation is its ability to decrease blood pressure. High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a common condition that affects millions of people worldwide and can lead to serious health issues such as heart disease, stroke, and chronic kidney disease. Fortunately, meditation has been found to be an effective tool in managing and reducing blood pressure.
The Impact of Meditation on the Body
Meditation practices, such as transcendental meditation and mindfulness-based stress reduction, have been shown to produce small yet meaningful reductions in blood pressure. These techniques can be used as monotherapy or in conjunction with traditional pharmacotherapy. A meta-analysis of 12 studies enrolling nearly 1000 participants found that meditation helped reduce blood pressure, especially in older individuals and those with higher blood pressure prior to the study. This reduction in blood pressure can have a significant impact on overall health and well-being.
How Meditation Lowers Blood Pressure
The practice of meditation affects the activity of the autonomic nervous system, which plays a crucial role in regulating blood pressure. Meditation calms the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for narrowing the blood vessels in response to stress. At the same time, it increases activity in the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes the widening of blood vessels. This dual action helps to lower blood pressure and reduce the strain on the heart and arteries.
Research Supporting the Benefits of Meditation
Several well-designed studies have demonstrated the positive impact of meditation on blood pressure. In one study, elderly individuals with hard-to-treat hypertension underwent relaxation response training, a technique similar to transcendental meditation and mindfulness meditation. The participants were able to better control their blood pressure, and some were even able to reduce or eliminate their blood pressure medications. Another study found that individuals who practiced transcendental meditation experienced significant reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure. These findings provide strong support for the effectiveness of meditation in lowering blood pressure.
Incorporating Meditation into Your Routine
Meditation is a safe practice for most people, including those with high blood pressure or other medical conditions. It can be easily incorporated into your daily routine and practiced for as long or as short as you like. Finding a quiet and comfortable space, focusing on your breathing, and choosing a mantra to repeat during your meditation can help you get started. Consistency is key when using meditation to manage blood pressure, so try to make it a part of your daily routine.
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Frequently asked questions
Meditation has been proven to help with stress reduction. It can help to train your mind to focus and redirect your thoughts, which can be beneficial for those suffering from stress-triggered medical conditions.
Meditation has been shown to promote healthy sleep patterns. It can help to relax the body and release tension, placing you in a peaceful state which can help you fall asleep.
Meditation has been proven to help reduce anxiety. A meta-analysis including nearly 1,300 adults found that meditation may decrease anxiety, with the strongest effect seen in those with the highest levels of anxiety.
Meditation has been shown to help control pain. It can help to diminish the perception of pain in the brain, which may be beneficial for those suffering from chronic pain.