Many people use meditation to reduce stress and improve concentration. While most people are aware of the mental benefits of meditation, fewer know that meditating can also improve your physical condition. You don't have to become a recluse or travel to a Buddhist temple on the other side of the world to see benefits. Just a few minutes every day can make a difference.
Effects on the Brain
A 2006 study by researchers at the University of Yale showed that medication can actually increase cortical thickness. All 20 participants were experienced meditators and meditated at least 40 minutes a day, but otherwise led a normal life, with jobs in law, journalism and healthcare. When compared with non-meditators, those who meditated regularly had more gray matter in the brain areas that correspond to visual and auditory perception.
Breathing and Heart Rate
Meditation can affect the parasympathetic nervous system, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The parasympathetic nervous system is the one that control your heart rate, breathing rate and blood flow.Thus, meditation could help slow down heart rate and improve digestion and circulation.
Pain Control
A 2011 study published in the "Journal of Neuroscience" showed that meditation is highly effective against pain. In fact, all 15 participants in the study experienced at least some pain relief, with some participants experiencing up to 40 percent reduction in pain. This is better than the effect produced by pain-relieving drugs, which reduce pain by about 25 percent.
Immune Function
According to a study published in the July-August 2003 issue of "Psychosomatic Medicine," people who meditate might have a stronger immune system. In the study, researchers divided participants into two groups: one group meditated for eight weeks, while the other group did nothing. After the eight weeks, all participants from both groups received an influenza vaccine. Those in the meditation group experienced a significant increase in the amount of antibodies found in their blood after getting the vaccine, while people in the other group didn't.
References
- Harvard Gazette; Meditation Found to Increase Brain Size; William J. Cromie; February 2006
- Science Daily: Meditation Associated With Increased Grey Matter In The Brain
- National Center of Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Meditation: An Introduction
- "Psychosomatic Medicine" Journal; Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation; Davidson RJ, et al.; July-August 2003
- Wake Baptist Medical Center: Demystifying Meditation -- Brain Imaging Illustrates How Meditation Reduces Pain
- Psychology Today; The Science of Meditation; Cary Barbor; September 2010
