Brain-Body Benefits of Meditation

The influences of meditation stretch from head to toe, positively affecting your brain, heart, and immune system, and helping with chronic pain, insomnia, and depression.  We’ve rounded up some intriguing recent research showing that meditation is a powerful ally for mind, body and spirit.

BRAIN

Soothe Anxiety– Meditation can reduce anxiety and depression, according to a 2014 Johns Hopkins University meta-analysis of nearly 19,000 studies by researchers.

525004_338610749576668_1496424344_nUpgrade Attention– Multiple studies show that meditation improves your attention span. One study shows that doing daily meditation sessions over just five days makes you more focused and attentive.

Improve Mood– A study by the Sharmatha Project found that meditators’ moods steadily improved over a three-month period.

BODY

Reduce Stress Effects– Meditation helps reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol.  This supports a sharper memory, healthier weight, and better sleep, multiple studies show.

Slow Aging– Telemerase, an enzyme that prevents- and may even reverse- premature agin in cells, is suppresses when we’re stressed.  But meditation can increase telomerase activity by 30 percent, according to a 2011 research finding by the Sharmatha Project.

Lower Pain- A 2011 study from Wake Forest and Marquette universities, participants reported a 40 percent decrease in pain-intensity ratings during meditation.

Support Heart Health–  Meditation creates a relaxation response, lowering blood pressure, slowing heart rate and improving heart health.  In a 2012 study published in the American Heart Association’s journal, Circulation:  Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, meditation helped those with heart disease lower their risk of cardiovascular clinical events including heart attack and stroke, by 48 percent.

cXWAia58eG6sqs6Oy61QlDl72eJkfbmt4t8yenImKBVvK0kTmF0xjctABnaLJIm9Boost Immunity– According to a study published in Psychosomatic Medicine, meditation increases antibody levels, helping the body fight off illnesses and infections.

 

Source: Experience Life, Well Informed, Jan/Feb 2015

 

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