Meditation is not a new practice or concept, but the science of the practice is. While some people look at meditation as means of escape from the noise of the world around them, many more look at it as a way to relieve stress and improve their focus. Either way, both groups are reaping all of the myriad health benefits of meditation. If you’re thinking about meditating yourself, here’s what you can expect.
A Brief History Of Meditation
Archaeologists believe that meditation dates back as far as 5000 BC. Its long history has religious ties with Judaism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism. And there are religious ties to Egypt and China as well.
As technology and industry unfolded and the world became more interconnected, meditation spread throughout Asia, eventually making its way beyond its borders. As meditation continued to spread from culture to culture, it continued its transformation; each step was a new iteration, and the only constant was its religious ties. It wasn’t until the 20th century that the ties that bound meditation and religion or broken.
Benefits Of Meditation
Meditation significantly reduces stress, which, in turn, has a trickle-down effect on other aspects of your emotional and cognitive well-being. If we dig a little deeper, we’ll also find that meditation has a compounding effect. For example, meditation improves focus and concentration, so in turn, it naturally enhances your productivity. Another example is that meditation reduces your stress levels, and by extension, it leads to better sleep and less anxiety. Here are a few more benefits of meditation.
Reduces Stress
Stress management is one of the most common reasons people try meditation in the first place. Many people believe that regular meditation will help them reduce their stress levels and improve their quality of life. It would seem that there is plenty of scientific evidence to support this theory. Not only has research has shown that mindfulness meditation can lower your body’s cortisol (aka the stress hormone) levels, but studies have also shown that transcendental meditation can also lower stress and decrease feelings of burnout.
Manages Anxiety And Depression
According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 280 million people worldwide have depression, and nearly 50% of all people diagnosed with depression are also diagnosed with anxiety. Research shows that those who are looking for a non-pharmacological approach to treat their depression and anxiety may find some success in meditation.
First, stress and anxiety are common triggers of depression. Those who practice meditation often find that both are significantly reduced with consistent practice. Scientifically, researchers have found that meditation can lead to changes in the brain regions that are often linked with depression. For example, the medial prefrontal cortex, often called the “me center” of the brain (because you process information about yourself in that part of your brain), and the amygdala or the fear center of your brain, both go into overdrive when you are stressed and depressed. Not surprisingly, these two regions of your brain often work in concert to spark depression.
Interestingly, research showed that meditation breaks the link between these two regions of the brain, decreasing the likelihood of depression. If that were plenty, research also shows that meditation can protect the hippocampus as well. This is the area of the brain that involves memory. One study beautifully showed that mindfulness meditation increases the amount of gray matter in the brain, specifically the hippocampus. And separate studies show that people who suffer from depression tend to have a smaller hippocampus.
Improves Focus And Concentration
Research has also shown that meditation can improve attention and concentration. In one interesting study from 2011, researchers examined the brains of 17 people before and after they participated in an eight-week meditation program. At the conclusion of the meditation program, brain scans of the participants revealed an increase in gray matter in the parts of the brain that are directly responsible for learning, memory, and emotion regulation.
If that wasn’t convincing enough, another study in 2016 conducted by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University showed a direct link between mindfulness meditation and improved concentration and decision-making. In this case, the participants were 35 unemployed adults who were actively looking for work. One group participated in a three-day mindfulness meditation program, while the other group participated in the 3-day relaxation program without mindful meditation. At the conclusion of the study, brain scans revealed increased connectivity in the parts of the brain that control attention–but only for the meditation group.
Improved Productivity
We already know that meditation affects your focus and concentration, so the natural evolution of that is that meditation improves your productivity. That comes as no surprise as the practice itself is deeply based in learning how to concentrate and focusing on one thing at a time. As you continue to meditate and work on your focus and concentration, your brain will eventually learn how to shut out distractions, and the by-product of that is increased efficiency.
Improved Sleep
For many people, sleep and meditation seem to have a sort of interconnectivity. Most people believe that if they can meditate and relax, that, in turn, will positively affect their sleep. And that’s certainly not a stretch; meditation can bring about a relaxed state of mind which is certainly conducive to falling asleep.
The research shows that mindfulness meditation can, in fact, improve sleep quality. Not only does meditation improve sleep quality, but it’s also a viable treatment for those with chronic insomnia. Moreover, studies have shown that about 91% of insomniacs either reduced or completely eliminated their use of sleeping medication as a result of meditation.
In addition to the many benefits of meditation we’ve already mentioned, meditation can also:
- Improve your memory
- Help with pain management
- Lower blood pressure
- Increase self-awareness and kindness
Meditation comes with a slew of benefits for the practitioner, including improved focus, better sleep, and a reduction in stress, anxiety, and depression. If any of these are a concern for you, you might a non-pharmacological answer in meditation.
