If you’re still wondering if meditation is right for you, here are 10 reasons to start meditating today, backed completely by science!
“Meditation nourishes the mind in the same way that food nourishes the body.”
You’ve heard about meditation a lot, and you know it’s great, but something’s holding you back. Maybe you feel like it’s another thing to add to your to-do list. Maybe you don’t know where to start. Maybe you’re wondering if it is even going to work for you.
Well, meditation has been around for thousands of years, and is an integral part of many cultures. It is closely tied in with yoga and is a part of the mind-body awareness concept. Today, meditation is considered an excellent way to clear the mind and reduce stress, but for many of us, it’s still a little confusing.
If you’re wondering whether meditation has any basis in science, you’ve come to the right place! Today, we share 10 science-backed reasons to start meditating today, and by the end of this read, we’re sure you’ll be raring to start!
10 Science-Based Reasons to Start Meditating
1. Reduces anxiety
One of the main reasons to start meditating is to lower your everyday anxiety, and it also relieves symptoms if you have an anxiety disorder. A General Hospital Psychiatry report found that a regular meditation practice had tremendous effects on people suffering from anxiety disorders.
The benefits aren’t temporary; they are long-term and are more pronounced in cases of chronic anxiety and even PTSD. The Journal of Occupational Health Psychology found that using a mindfulness meditation app greatly helped employees deal with workplace anxiety and improved feelings of well-being.
2. Improves mental health issues
Besides general anxiety, meditation can help reduce the symptoms associated with other mental health issues like depression, phobias and obsessive-compulsive behaviors. An article in Cognitive Therapy and Research talks about how mindfulness meditation can help patients who have a history of depressive episodes.
A common symptom of depression is negative rumination, where the mind goes over negative thoughts again and again. Meditation has been shown to reduce this significantly, according to a study published in the Journal of Research in Personality.
Important: Please remember that while meditation can relieve symptoms, it is not a substitute for actual treatment or therapy.
3. Reduces stress
One of the most popular reasons to start meditating is to reduce stress, and who doesn’t have stress? The Journal of Biopsychosocial Science and Medicine found that patients who underwent a weekly meditation program registered a 31% reduction in stress and 65% reduction in mood disturbances.
What’s more, meditation also improves the physical manifestations of stress, like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), fibromyalgia and other inflammatory conditions, according to the Journal of Psychiatric Research. A report published by the American Psychological Association shows that even a short-term mindfulness-based stress management program can benefit people suffering from stress.
4. Boosts memory and mental clarity
We live in an age of information overload, and our brains seem to be bursting at the seams with junk and negative thoughts. This affects our ability to retain crucial information or even think clearly. Mental clarity is one of the reasons to start meditating; a study by Consciousness and Cognition found that just 4 days of meditation training increased mindfulness, working memory, visuo-spatial processing, and executive functioning.
If you’re worried about age-related memory loss or dementia, meditation is your best way to prevent it. A study in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences found that even in older people, a meditation practice was helpful to offset age-related cognitive decline.
5. Increases attention span
Do you find it harder and harder to focus on a single task at a time? Or that it takes ages just to get through one page of a book? You’re not alone, and meditating is one of the ways you can regain your attention span or improve it.
The NeuroReport Journal published a study that found something amazing: people who meditated regularly had a thicker prefrontal cortex and right anterior insula – areas that are associated with attention and sensory processing. A report in Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience also found that meditators were less likely to get distracted when they were working on something.
6. Enhances self-awareness and willpower
One of the main reasons to start meditating is to connect with yourself. In a chaotic world, we have no control over what happens around us, but we do have control over our minds and our responses. Meditation can improve self-regulation and discipline, according to a report in Stanford Medicine.
This increase in self-control can come in handy when dealing with addictive behaviors too. The Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment found that meditation techniques like Transcendental Meditation decreased the likelihood of alcohol addicts returning to addiction after rehab.
7. Improves sleep quality
Some of the common reasons we have trouble getting good sleep are a racing mind, stress and too much screen time. If you’re looking for reasons to start meditating, this is it, because meditation has been proven to improve sleep quality.
By reducing stress and clearing your mind, you’re already one step towards good sleep. Meditation helps in these aspects and also reduces the time it takes to fall asleep. Sleep Journal published a study on chronic insomniacs that found that meditation-based intervention significantly reduced total wake time, improving overall sleep quality.
8. Lowers blood pressure
High blood pressure is a common cause for several cardiac illnesses, including atherosclerosis, heart attacks and stroke. The Journal of Human Hypertension found that meditation was successful in reducing high blood pressure, particularly in older people and in women.
The International Journal of Cardiology says that there is enough evidence to suggest that regular meditation can improve autonomic tone, autonomic reflexes while decreasing blood pressure and improving the anti-inflammatory reflex.
9. Increases pain tolerance
Treating pain is one of the reasons to start meditating for people with chronic health conditions. So, how does meditation help with pain management? The Journal of Neuroscience published a study that found that just 4 days of mindfulness meditation reduced pain by over 50%. This happens due to changes in the orbitofrontal cortex, which affects the sensory response to pain.
10. Can be done anywhere, anytime
Okay, this isn’t exactly among the science-backed reasons to start meditating, but it is valid, nevertheless! Whatever gender, race, nationality, religion or age you are, you can start meditating. You don’t need to buy any special equipment and you don’t need a specific location to do it.
You can meditate while traveling, while doing household chores, or even at work. All you need to begin is 5 minutes of your time, and the right intention, and you’re ready.
While there are many reasons to start meditating for both physical and mental health, please remember that it is not a substitute for treatment. It is a wonderful addition to other treatments, and can improve their efficacy.
If you’re a beginner to meditation, don’t worry or judge yourself. This is your journey, and you start where you are right now. It is common for your mind to wander off; don’t beat yourself up for it. Gently come back to where you were, even if you have to do it multiple times.
There isn’t a right or wrong way to meditate – you do you! Find what works for you right now and start from there. Soon you’ll discover new ways to challenge your mind and you’ll be amazed at what it can achieve!
Prerna is the founder, editor and owner of ‘Maa of All Blogs’, one of India’s Top Parenting Blogs. Besides being a certified Ashtanga Yoga instructor, she is also a fashion designer and an economics graduate.
When she’s not busy running her home and business, she ensures she stays active – whether it’s running the half marathon, completing the Oxfam walk or climbing to the Everest base camp. Prerna enjoys wearing all her hats, and she does so in style!
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