Meditation can also help to improve the overall quality of sleep by reducing the number of awakenings during the night and increasing the amount of deep sleep. (Representative image: Shutterstock)
Meditation is often used as a way to reduce stress, improve concentration and increase self-awareness
Meditation is a practice that involves focusing one’s mind on a particular object, thought or activity to achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm state. There are many types of meditation including mindfulness meditation, transcendental meditation, yoga meditation, Zazen and many others. Meditation has been practised for thousands of years and has been shown to have numerous benefits on both the mind and body.
From stress reduction to improved mental focus, from increased self-awareness to increased creativity and productivity, there are many benefits of meditation. Here are 5 science-based benefits of meditation on your body:
Helps in de-stress
One of the main reasons why people try out meditation is to tackle stress. A study titled “Meditation programs for psychological stress and well-being: A systematic review and meta-analysis” found that meditation showed evidence of a reduction in anxiety. Many studies and research papers have concluded that meditation helps in reducing stress, anxiety and depression by lowering the levels of stress hormones in the body.
Usually, mental and physical stress increases the stress hormone called cortisol which leads to the release of an inflammatory chemical called cytokines. These cytokines can disrupt your sleep, increase anxiety levels and blood pressure, and lead to fatigue. An 8-week study called “A comparison of mindfulness-based stress reduction and active control in modulation of neurogenic inflammation” found that mindful meditation can reduce the inflammation response.
Increases self-awareness
Meditation assists in making you more aware of who you are and increases self-awareness, which can lead to greater self-knowledge, emotional intelligence and personal growth. A 2019 study submitted to the National Library of Medicine found that adults using an app for mindful meditation exhibited reduced symptoms of loneliness and in fact, it increased their social skills as well.
Improves sleep quality
A study titled “A Randomized Controlled Trial of Mindfulness Meditation for Chronic Insomnia” found that people who practised meditation slept for longer duration and it improved their insomnia. It may also help in treating chronic insomnia in adults and could be an alternative to traditional methods. Meditation relaxes the body, releases tension and lets you fall asleep peacefully.
Meditation can also help to improve the overall quality of sleep by reducing the number of awakenings during the night and increasing the amount of deep sleep. Deep sleep is the most restorative stage of sleep and is essential for physical and emotional well-being.
Decreases blood pressure
Meditation helps in reducing blood pressure by helping in relaxing the nerves, reducing blood vessel tension and fight-or-flight response. A 2015 study found that meditation proved to be effective in elderly volunteers as well as those participants who had higher blood pressure before joining the study.
Studies have also found that regular meditation practice can help to lower high blood pressure (hypertension) and reduce the risk of hypertension-related cardiovascular disease.
Helps against addictions
Meditation helps people learn to redirect their thoughts, attention, emotions and impulses. Research called “Integration of Transcendental Meditation (TM) into alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment” found that 60 people who were receiving treatment for AUD and practising meditation showed low levels of stress, psychological distress and alcohol craving. One of the ways in which meditation helps with addiction is by reducing cravings. Meditation helps to reduce the intensity and frequency of cravings by decreasing the activity in the brain’s reward centre, which is responsible for processing pleasurable experiences.
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