Travelers book meditation vacations. Corporations sponsor mindfulness meditation retreats. And we even hear of stars like Oprah Winfrey and Kobe Bryant advocating the benefits of meditation.
So just why has meditation become a staple in the lives of so many Americans?
The answer is simple. Meditation can be life changing.
The benefits of meditation span well beyond what words can describe. There’s a healing power associated with meditation. Not only can meditation help to alleviate depression, it can reduce the risk of life-threatening diseases. And it can change the view of life as you know it.
If you’re considering adding meditation to your life, check out these seven life-altering benefits of this age-old practice.
1. It reduces the risk of heart disease.
Research shows that meditation and a healthy heart just might go hand in hand. According to the American Heart Association, one such study found that by practicing Transcendental Meditation (TM), African Americans affected by heart disease could potentially reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke by nearly 50 percent.
2. It can help you to sleep.
There’s nothing more frustrating than lying in bed staring at the alarm clock because you just can’t sleep. The good news is that meditation can help with this common issue.
For starters, meditation may increase the body’s melatonin levels. According to the National Sleep Foundation, melatonin is a natural hormone that is produced by the pineal gland. This gland is active at night, but inactive during the day. It activates when darkness sets in, at which point it starts to make melatonin. When melatonin levels rise in the blood, you start to feel tired.
If you’re going through menopause, you’re going to like this. An increased amount of melatonin may help with sleep issues associated with menopause. That’s a sanity saver if you’re suffering from ferocious hot flashes.
And that’s not all.
Once you are asleep, meditation can help to improve sleep quality. Researchers have found that those who meditate may have a longer duration of slow wave sleep as well as enhanced rapid eye movement.
Plus, meditation can help with age-related sleep issues. It’s a well-known fact that sleep quality can decline with age. Studies show that those who are older and meditate can achieve similar sleep quality to those who are younger and don’t meditate.
3. It can get you out of a rut.
We all look at life from our own unique perspective. Sometimes this is helpful, and sometimes it’s not. When our own personal perspective clashes with the reality of life itself, life can feel pretty chaotic. That’s where meditation comes into play.
Through meditation, we learn to step out of the box and see life from more than just one view. This can help to us to break out of ruts that keep us trapped.
“Meditation can help you to see reality more clearly by helping you to move out of your habitual view of life and the universe and adopt a broader perspective,” says Dr. William R. Marchand, a psychiatrist and author specializing in mindfulness. “This is true for many reasons. It can help you to develop more compassion for yourself and for others. It can help you to see that you are not separate - but part of a larger, interconnected web of life. It can help you to experience gratitude for your life. And it can help you to recognize the joy of just being alive.”
4. It can change your brain’s response to depression.
There’s something pretty phenomenal about meditation. That can be found in a fancy term called neuroplasticity. This is the brain’s ability to change in response to experience.
“Through practicing meditation, or any activity, we can actually rewire our brains. Rewiring changes the patterns of neurons firing so that we can become better at any activity we practice,” says Marchand. “In mindfulness meditation, we practice keeping our attention focused on the present moment. With meditation practice, our brain circuitry changes to help us become better able to stay in the moment.”
The result can be life changing when it comes to emotions. In fact, it can even apply to bouts of depression.
“This is helpful for depression because when (one is) experiencing depressive symptoms, the mind tends to ruminate about the symptoms, which makes them worse. By shifting to mindful awareness, we can allow the symptoms to arise and pass rather than getting stuck in thinking about them,” says Marchand. “Because of neuroplasticity, we can train our minds so that it is much easier to do this. It sounds simple, but it is a very powerful technique to be able to shift to mindful awareness when we are feeling depression or any unpleasant emotion.”
5. It helps with a wandering mind.
If you struggle with a wandering mind, you’re not alone. Mind wandering is a frustrating thing that can make productivity difficult. However, meditation can improve your ability to concentrate.
Researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara set out to determine whether or not mindfulness training could improve GRE scores. Participants were put in a two-week mindfulness-training course to study whether or not mindfulness could both decrease mind wandering and improve cognitive performance. Study authors say that mindfulness training elevated both reading-comprehension and working memory capacity. In addition, it reduced distraction from unwanted thoughts during the testing process.
6. It improves memory.
It’s no secret that we mentally slip as age sets in. However, meditation may help to preserve cognitive function. Research shows that mindfulness programs may enhance memory capacity. A review of multiple studies suggests that early stages of training programs focus on attention span, which helps with focus. Some research shows that significant improvements in both selective and executive attention can be seen.
7. It can help with menopausal symptoms.
The symptoms of menopause can be grueling. From disrupted sleep cycles to hair-raising hot flashes, life can be miserable. The good news is that meditation may help.
According to the National Institutes of Health, a 2010 review sought to analyze this concept. In the review, 21 papers of mind and body therapies were assessed. Among other things, researchers discovered that meditation-based programs may assist in the reduction of menopausal symptoms. In particular, this and other methods may reduce both the frequency and intensity of hot flashes. Further, it can help with moodiness, sleep issues, general stress, and joint and muscle pain associated with menopause.