Meditation is an ancient practice where you sit, focus on proper breathing, and let your mind dissolve. This practice has been around for thousands of years with the earliest written records dating back to 1500BC from the Hindu traditions of Vedantism. Why did it survive all these years? The answer is simple – meditation is incredibly healthy, and you should do it on a daily basis. If you’re wondering how the act of sitting and breathing properly can help you improve your health keep reading this article. Here are seven amazing reasons why you should meditate on a daily basis.
Immune system support
The immune system protects you from diseases and viruses, but unhealthy diet, chronic stress, and other factors affect the immunity and its functioning. As a result, we’re more susceptible to flu and cold and some health conditions. Meditation is a marvelous way of strengthening the immune system and science confirms it. For example, one study found that mindfulness meditation has positive effects on cell-mediated immunity and inflammation. Although the relationship between the two is evident, it is not quite clear how meditation improves the immune system. One theory is that your thoughts, sensations, expectations, and mood are transmitted to immune cells.
Sharp memory
Meditating regularly can be one of the easiest ways to improve memory according to numerous studies. For instance, the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease published results of a research which discovered that mindfulness meditation increased cerebral blood flow and improved memory in participants. A separate study enrolled 48 undergraduate students to investigate the link between meditation and cognitive performances. The University of California at Santa Barbara discovered that meditation reduces mind wandering and, thereby, improves your cognitive performance significantly.
Heart health
Mindfulness meditation is more than training to be more aware of your every moment; it has numerous benefits for your overall health. The International Journal of Behavioral Medicine published results of the study which confirmed that meditation improves cardiovascular health as well. Other studies found that regular meditation lowers one’s risk of heart attack and stroke, which kill millions of people each year. How does meditation benefit heart health? It uses multi faceted actions including lower heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, adrenaline levels, oxygen consumption, and cortisol levels.
Productivity
Productivity fluctuates; sometimes you can finish all your projects and assignments within a given time, but in other instances, you can’t. Of course, multiple factors play a role here including exhaustion, low energy levels, the complexity of those assignments, just to name a few. A useful way to enhance your productivity is through meditation. How? Medication is incredibly relaxing and helps you reduce stress. When you are stress-free, the brain works more efficiently and allows you to do more at work. The right side of your brain, responsible for creating new ideas, functions more actively and you can produce new ideas. Other ways meditation improves productivity is through better memory (as seen above), better focus and blood flow.
Depression management
Depression is a common, but serious mood disorder that affects the way you think behave, and it also affects your overall health. Rates of depression keep increasing, but fortunately, it is possible to overcome it successfully. Mindfulness meditation serves as an all-natural and effective depression treatment or some complementary therapy, which is why you should meditate every day. One study found that meditation is just as effective for depression as anti-depressant drugs, but without uncomfortable or potentially dangerous side effects.
Weight control
We’re constantly looking for different ways to keep weight in a healthy range and meditation can be your trusted ally in this process. A group of researchers from UC San Francisco discovered that meditation could help you control your dietary habits to maintain or lose weight. Meditation teaches you to control yourself, and it applies to every aspect of your life. It becomes easier for you to resist cravings and avoid overeating. Also, since meditation lowers levels of stress hormone cortisol, it prevents emotional overeating.
You’re wiser
The power of meditation is amazing. You don’t just sit there, you’re learning to focus on a single point of reference, usually your breaths, and tune out everything around you. Meditation gives you a peace of mind and deep relaxation that we need in stressful lifestyle. At the same time, this practice gives you a whole new perspective, you become open-minded and learn how to focus on things that are truly important. Since it keeps the mind clear and free, meditation keeps you in touch with yourself and the world around you, thus making you wiser.
Conclusion
Meditation is a popular practice that has been around for centuries. It protects you from various diseases, improves productivity, and needless to mention meditation is soothing. Hectic lifestyle nowadays can be harmful to our health, but meditation helps you cope with it easily.
References :
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20164557
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs12529-014-9448-9
http://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/meditation-offers-significant-heart-benefits
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/how-meditation-can-help-improve-your-productivity.html
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