7 benefits of meditation
by Freya • 6 minutes read
Last updated: 01 Jul, 2022
Meditation is the practice of an individual using techniques to train attention and awareness, and to reach a level of mental and emotional calmness and stability. This can be techniques such as mindfulness or focusing the mind on something, such as an object or thought.
Meditation is increasingly gaining popular as it has become more known for its several health benefits.
We are going to look at the top 7 health benefits of meditation.
Enhances self-awareness
There are some types of meditation that can allow you to gain a strong understanding of yourself and it will help you to grow into the best version of yourself.
Self-inquiry meditation is a great example of this, the aim is to develop an understanding of yourself and how you relate to those around you. When you have a true understanding of yourself and others, it is easier to better yourself as you know what needs to be changed.
There are other ways of bettering yourself through meditation, there are other forms that allow you to acknowledge any intrusive thoughts that can be damaging to oneself. If you are aware of your thought habits, it can be easier to change the direction and lean more towards constructive patterns.
Can reduce age–related memory loss
Daily meditation is a good way of improving your attention and clarity of thinking, it can keep your mind and spirit young.
Kirtan Kriya is a form of meditation that uses a mantra or chant, along with repetitive finger movements, to focus your thoughts. Studies have shown that it can improve performance on neuropsychological tests in people with age-related memory loss.
May help with overcoming addictions
Studies have shown that meditation can be a reliable way for people to learn how to redirect their attention and manage emotions and impulses as well as allow people to understand the causes of the way they are feeling and so on.
It is a great way to learn mental discipline and increase your self-control as well as improving your awareness of addictive behaviour triggers.
A study of 60 people receiving treatment for alcohol abuse showed that practicing transcendental meditation for 3 months or longer can lower stress levels, psychological distress, alcohol cravings and alcohol use.
Encourages emotional health
There are some forms of mediation that are greatly beneficial for our mental health, it can encourage us to have a different outlook on ourselves and on life, therefore, reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression.
A study that took place in 2015, showed that those that were receiving meditation therapy had experienced reduced depressive symptoms, compared to those that were in a control group.
Another study from 2014, showed that those that complete mediation had experienced less negative thought in response to viewing negative images compared to those in a control group.
Meditation can also be found to decrease levels of inflammatory cytokines, a chemical which is released in response to stress and can contribute to depression.
Improves sleep
When mediating, there are a range physiological changes that take place, these changes can encourage the body to sleep through the influence of specific processes in the body.
One study found that people who meditated had improved insomnia severity, compared with those who did not meditate. This suggests that meditation may help you control or redirect the racing or runaway thoughts that often lead to insomnia.
As you get better at it, meditation can help you control your thoughts and improve your sleep. It can also put you in a peaceful state, therefore making it easier to fall asleep as you are not overpowered by anxious thoughts.
Can help control pain
Research shows that meditation can be a huge help for controlling pain as the perception of pain is so closely connected to your state of mind and so can be increased in stressful circumstances.
Mindfulness meditation may help to reduce the perception of pain in the brain, which could potentially help to treat chronic pain when used alongside medical care or physical therapy.
Reduces stress and anxiety
Meditation can be a great stress reduction, it can put us in a deep state of relaxation, its helps us focus our attention and reduce the excessive thoughts that float around in our brain that cause us stress and anxiety.
One study found that 8 weeks of mindful meditation helped reduce anxiety and stress symptoms as well as improving the way that one sees themselves, creating positive self-statements and improved stress reactivity and coping.
If you would like to try out meditation, here are some useful products to get you started:
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