As the year closes. It is time to reflect on our health and well-being.
As you may already be aware, our brains become smaller and less dense as we age. People may experience these changes as early as their mid-to late-20s! According to earlier studies, people who meditate over time retain more brain mass than those who do not. In particular, the study found that those who meditated saw reduced loss of white brain tissue.
Grey brain tissue is connected to and protected by white brain matter. It transports nerve signals among the brain’s functional regions. The different neurological regions of the brain, which control speech, motor abilities, memory, etc., are housed in the grey brain matter.
More than 15 million Americans and many more individuals worldwide regularly practice meditation. Although it originates in Eastern culture, western nations have enthusiastically adopted it.
- It has a wide range of advantages, such as:
- Improves sleep
- Inner peace and tranquillity
- Reduces chronic pain
- Reduces stress and anxiety
- Reduces depression
- Boosts attention
- Improves immunity
- Helps with weight loss
- Boosts memory
- Improves heart health and lowers blood pressure
- Improves well-being and allows for deeper relationships
Now meditation may also help to keep our brains young.
Interesting Experiments
A team of UCLA researchers asked if people who meditate also have their grey matter preserved. The researchers discovered the effects of meditation to be ubiquitous throughout the whole brain, not simply in the parts of the brain connected with meditation.
The research contrasted those who had practised meditation for a long time with those who had not. The meditators had been practising meditation for an average of 20 years. Participants in the research ranged in age from the middle of their 20s to their late 70s.
There were 28 males and 22 women who participated in the study, almost equally.
They discovered that although there was still a grey matter loss with aging in meditators, it was less than in non-meditators.
The researchers acknowledged the study’s favourable results. Still, they warned anybody considering the findings since they could not draw a direct connection between meditation and the preservation of grey matter.
Another UCLA study in 2012 found that meditators’ brains have more gyrification, or folds, which may help them digest information more quickly than usual.
Meditation practitioners seem to be able to preserve white and grey matter, create more connections in the brain, and maintain brain plasticity.
Meditation appears to have a good impact on other bodily processes in addition to the white and grey matter of the brain.
Anti-Aging Benefits Of Meditation
The youth-preserving and renewing benefits of meditation include:
Meditation increases DHEA, which facilitates the production of the hormones that maintain fat and mineral metabolism.
An increase in Melatonin, which acts as an antioxidant, offers immune support and fights depression.
A decrease in cortisol, the stress hormone that encourages the body to retain dangerous belly fat associated with heart disease and diabetes.
The Effects Of Meditation
The calibre of one’s thought processes has a role in experiencing and sustaining a young mental attitude. Meditation practitioners develop their capacity to focus while learning to calm their minds.
They think more clearly, react less, and respond to situations more. In other words, individuals retain high adaptability and quickness of thought while having the advantage of selecting their reaction to circumstances rather than simply responding to them.
How To Meditate
Most meditators sit in silence for twenty minutes at least twice a day. Most systems of thought advise practising meditation to begin and finish the day. But everyone may meditate whenever they have the space in their schedule.
There is no all-or-nothing approach to meditation. Meditating for shorter periods, such as five, ten, or fifteen minutes, is also advantageous.
There are several ways to meditate, including:
- Primordial Sound Meditation
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
- Zen
- Transcendental Meditation
- Yoga Meditation (Kundalini)
- Focused Attention Meditation
- Open Monitoring Meditation
- Vipassana Meditation
- Loving Kindness Meditation (Metta Meditation)
- Mantra Meditation (OM Meditation)
- Qigong (Chi Kung)
Getting Started
A meditation beginner must have patience since it takes time for the mind to learn to focus and become accustomed to the practice. The first step is choosing the type of meditation you want to practice and then learning how to perform it. Hire a professional if feasible, but many books, DVDs, and free internet resources can teach you the precise procedures of the approach you want to use.
Try to meditate every day at the same time when you first start. You can still meditate if this is not practicable at another time.
