Meditating is one of the healthiest practices to add to your daily routine.
In this article we will talk about what meditation is, as well as explain several reasons why you should add the act of meditating to your daily routine .
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What is meditation?
Current meditative practices have their origin in ancient practices that appeared in China and India. The oldest known texts in which the practice of meditation appears were written around 1500 BC , within the Hindu tradition. There are also references to meditation from the third century before Christ, these associated with Taoist practices.
Today there are various types of meditation . They all have in common being practices in which control of the mind and emotional state is practiced, but the methods with which this control of one’s own mind is achieved differ. (If you want to know various types of meditation and their characteristics, we recommend our article: “The 8 types of meditation (and their benefits)”
In a much more interconnected world than ever before, meditative practices have found their way into our daily lives. These techniques are used in the field of work, personal improvement, spiritual practice or even psychological therapy, as is the case of the already well-known “Mindfulness” techniques , through which it is sought to improve the connection between the individual and your awareness of the present moment.
It is usual that faced with so many offers of meditation, we feel curious about it. Sometimes its benefits are exaggerated for advertising reasons , which can make us more skeptical about the healthy effects of meditation. Fortunately, today there are several scientific investigations that try to clarify the real benefits of meditating.
Why meditate? 11 real benefits of meditation
Meditation has proven health benefits that should not be ignored. Due to the relative ease of these practices, their low cost of implementation and their obvious effects on physical and mental health, the study of their short- and long-term health benefits is becoming increasingly interesting.
Among the many benefits associated with meditation we can highlight.
1. Effects of meditation on physical health
Our physical health benefits from the frequent practice of meditation. These are the main benefits that your body will experience.
1.1. Regulates blood pressure
Meditation does not only have effects on a mental or emotional level. High blood pressure -also known as hypertension- has a great impact on the cardiovascular health of thousands of people. Heart disease and cardiovascular events are the leading causes of death today.
Some scientific studies have shown that meditation is effective in lowering high blood pressure , as well as having a certain protective effect on people who practice it. This means that those who meditate regularly tend to develop fewer cardiovascular problems such as hypertension.
1.2. It helps fight insomnia
Lack of sleep is a cause of tiredness, lethargy, decreased cognitive abilities and even leads to impaired memory and emotional control. A correct amount of sleep is necessary for a healthy life, but some people with insomnia have enormous difficulties in getting the adequate hours of sleep they require each day.
A small study looked at 54 adults with chronic insomnia, some of whom improved their condition after learning mindfulness techniques to deal with stress and insomnia, far more than those in the study who were not exposed to meditation techniques.
1.3. Relieves ulcerative colitis and irritable bowel syndrome
Ulcerative colitis and irritable bowel syndrome are two disorders of the digestive system. Both diseases have unpleasant symptoms and long-term consequences , and their patients have to deal with high levels of stress and pain, which further worsen the symptoms of the disease.
Although meditation is not capable of curing any of these diseases , the truth is that it is very effective in reducing the stress suffered by those affected, especially when they are in the middle of a painful episode. In addition, it decreases the frequency of pain associated with stress suffered by patients with these chronic diseases and can mitigate the severity of symptoms.
People with irritable bowel syndrome who receive Mindfulness training may notice that the pain of their disease becomes more bearable , which increases their quality of life and improves their emotional state.
1.4. Decreases the sensation of pain
The effects of meditation on the ability to reduce pain have received considerable scientific attention for its therapeutic potential, especially for those who suffer from chronic or difficult to treat pain .
Some studies have found that mindfulness meditative practices help decrease pain levels in patients without altering endorphin production, allowing for the combination of meditation with pain management medication.
Other studies have looked at the reduction of pain in those patients who suffer from chronic diseases, such as back pain. Those people who know and apply stress management techniques based on Mindfulness improve their condition faster than people who do not practice meditation.
1.5. Can help manage addictions
Managing addiction requires mind control and a strong will , so it would make sense that it would be a condition that would improve with meditation. Unfortunately, the scientific studies that have been carried out in this regard have not been conclusive when it comes to defining its effects on addictive tendencies.
The most promising studies suggest that meditation facilitates smoking cessation , reducing the increased urge to smoke that is experienced when we try to kick the habit, as well as reducing the amount of tobacco consumed daily. We must wait for more advanced scientific studies before assuming that meditation helps to manage addictions, but what little evidence we have points in a good direction.
2. Mental health effects
In the same way, our psychological health is also reinforced in different specific aspects.
1.1. It reduces stress
Stress is an aggravating factor for many health problems . Abdominal pain, allergies, inflammation or skin rashes are some of the symptoms that high levels of stress can cause us.
Meditation is great for lowering stress and lowering cortisol levels, the hormone known to many as “the stress hormone . ” Studies conducted on very large samples (more than 3,500 patients) show persistent and moderate effects on stress reduction in those who practice meditation or Mindfulness techniques.
1.2. Reduces anxiety and stabilizes mood
Stress is not the only aspect of mental health that is improved by meditation. Several studies point to a decrease in depressive symptoms, anxiety, and emotional imbalance in general . In the case of anxiety, the efficacy of meditation was comparable to the efficacy of pharmacological treatments, which is not negligible.
Not only is it useful to reduce anxiety symptoms or to improve our ability to calm down , but meditating also has a “protective effect” on the mental health of its practitioners. This means that healthy people who meditate are less likely to develop long-term problems with anxiety or depression.
1.3. Improves the mental state of pregnant women
Pregnancy causes a high number of concerns, but it can also seriously affect the mental health of mothers , especially around the time of delivery, whether before or after.
Medication mood control is something that many pregnant women prefer not to use, either by doctor’s recommendation or by choice. Meditative techniques, especially those accompanied by physical activity (such as Qigong or Yoga) are effective in reducing depressive and anxiety symptoms related to pregnancy, childbirth and motherhood.
1.4. Increases productivity and ability to concentrate
Meditating is not just for hippies. Those who meditate daily see their attention span improve, along with their short and long-term memory . This allows them to engage more deeply with their work, since it is easier for them to enter a state of deep concentration in which intrusive thoughts are not an impediment to work.
Meditating daily is related to improved productivity and greater satisfaction with the work done and the work environment.
1.5. Improve empathy
There are some types of meditation that focus on empathic exercises , as is the case with “Metta” meditation, also known as “Loving Kindness Meditation” or meditation on benevolent love, which has much in common with modern Mindfulness techniques.
This type of meditation makes us improve our ability to put ourselves in the shoes of others, which improves not only our empathetic capacity, but it will also reduce our frustration towards others while improving our vision of ourselves. All advantages!
Bibliographic references
- Goyal, M., Singh, S., Sibinga, E. M. (2014). Meditation programs for psychological stress and well-being: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA internal medicine, 174(3), 357–368. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.13018.
- Noone, C., & Hogan, M. J. (2018). A randomised active-controlled trial to examine the effects of an online mindfulness intervention on executive control, critical thinking and key thinking dispositions in a university student sample. BMC Psychology,6(1). doi:10.1186/s40359-018-0226-3.
- Meditation: InDepth. (2006). NCCIH. Retrieved September 16, 2019, from https://nccih.nih.gov/health/meditation/overview.htm
- Tang, Y., Hölzel, B., & Posner, M. (2015). The neuroscience of mindfulness meditation. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 16(4), 213-225. doi:10.1038/nrn3916
- Hilton, L., Hempel, S., Ewing, B. A., Apaydin, E., Xenakis, L., Newberry, S., … Maglione, M. A. (2017). Mindfulness Meditation for Chronic Pain: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, 51(2), 199–213. doi:10.1007/s12160-016-9844-2.
To the classic question “what do you do?” I always answer “basically I am a psychologist”. In fact, my academic training has revolved around the psychology of development, education and community, a field of study influenced my volunteer activities, as well as my first work experiences in personal services.