Meditation is a set of techniques that when practised, encourage a heightened state of awareness and focused attention. A habitual process where we train our mind to redirect our thoughts, meditation is also about getting a healthy sense of perspective. Because of its consciousness-changing techniques, meditation is used to improve psychological well-being and bring about harmony. Listed below are 8 proven benefits of meditation.

Eight Benefits of Meditation

1. Reduces Stress and Anxiety

Stress can cause increased cortisol (stress hormone) levels, which has harmful effects, such as the release of cytokines (inflammatory chemicals). Studies have shown that the inflammation response caused by stress was reduced using “mindfulness meditation”. Since reduced stress levels translate to less anxiety, practising meditation also helps people with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (G.A.D.) and common tension headaches.

2. Helps Fight Addiction

The mental discipline you develop through meditation helps you break dependencies by increasing your self-control and awareness of triggers for addictive behaviours. Mindfulness meditation even helps control food and alcohol cravings. As per studies, meditation stimulates and trains your brain to be happy and "naturally high", without the need for alcohol, prescriptions, marijuana, drugs, cigarettes, or any other addictive substances to feel good.

3. Helps Control Pain

A study by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) found that mindful meditation reduces pain sensations in the body without using the brain’s natural opiates. Other brain studies of regular meditators have concluded that mindfulness meditation could reduce pain, improve quality of life, and decrease symptoms of depression in people with chronic pain. Your perception of pain is connected to your state of mind, and it can get aggravated in stressful conditions. Meditation can give us a greater ability to cope with pain and even reduce painful sensations.

4. Decreases Blood Pressure

High blood pressure makes the heart work harder to pump blood, which leads to poor heart function. High BP can also cause atherosclerosis, a condition that can lead to heart attack/ stroke. A meta-analysis of 12 studies found that meditation reduces strain on the heart, and relaxes the nerve signals that increase blood pressure.  

5. Improves Sleep  

Practising meditation helps you control or redirect racing or runaway thoughts that often lead to insomnia. Also, meditation relaxes your body by releasing tension and placing you in a peaceful state, making it more likely for you to fall asleep.

6. Reduces Age-Related Memory Loss

Kirtan Kriya is a method of meditation that combines a mantra or chant with the repetitive motion of the fingers to focus your thoughts. Studies in people with age-related memory loss have shown it improves performance on neuropsychological tests. Furthermore, a review found pieces of evidence that multiple meditation styles can increase attention, memory, and mental quickness in older volunteers.

7. Lengthens Attention Span

Focused meditation helps increase the strength and endurance of our attention and heightens sensitivity to visual, auditory, and tactile stimuli. Research showed that regular practised medication improves attention and accuracy, and also increases attention span. Meditation also reverses patterns in the brain that make our minds wander and make us worry.

8. Promotes Mental and Emotional Health

Research has shown that some forms of meditation can improve depression and reduce negative thoughts. The research also showed that meditation decreases levels of inflammatory chemicals called cytokines, which could contribute to depression. Besides, meditation produces neural connections to brain sites that regulate positive emotions like empathy and kindness Overall it helps you appreciate life more and make you and those around you happier.