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If you’re overwhelmed by everyday worries and anxiety, consider trying meditation. Only a few minutes of meditation can help in restoring calmness and inner peace. And the best part is, anyone can practice meditation!

Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years. It is now considered a type of mental therapy that can produce a deep state of compositeness and tranquility. This article will help you understand the usefulness of meditation in providing health benefits to your body.

Meditation Prevents Various Illnesses

Various research studies are being conducted to support and provide data regarding the health benefits of meditation. It is said that meditation helps with the following diseases:

• Chronic pain[1]
• Sleep problems, especially insomnia[2]
• Depression[3]
• Anxiety[3]
• Hypertension[4]
• Tension headaches[5]

Meditation Improves Cognition

Various scientific studies conclude that practicing meditation is an excellent way to increase cognitive abilities and critical thinking capabilities.6 Not only does decision-making strategies improve, but the memory also enhances.

Meditation Promotes Emotional Health and Mind Peace

The definition of health is not just limited to the physical state. Emotional wellness is just as important as physical health. Several research studies found that meditation decreases the occurrence of depression development.7 People who practice meditation regularly are found to have a greater emotional quotient than those who don’t. It has also been proved that loving-kindness meditation (LKM) improves well-being and positive emotions in university students. After this meditation, a significant boost in mental peace was found in them.8

Meditation Reduces Symptoms of Panic Disorder

Twenty-two patients with anxiety or panic disorder were examined in a research study after being involved in 3 months of meditation and relaxation training. The results were quite fascinating. Out of those 22 patients, 20 had a substantial reduction in the effects of panic and anxiety.9

The Bottom Line

Meditation undoubtedly is one of the best-known strategies to calm the storms of our mind and let us become relaxed. It can quickly provide happiness, mental peace, and extra energy.

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References:

1.) Mindfulness Meditation Reduces Pain, Bypasses Opioid Receptors | NCCIH. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/research/blog/mindfulness-meditation-reduces-pain-bypasses-opioid-receptors.

2.) Meditation for Sleep; An Insomnia Treatment | Sleep Foundation. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/insomnia/treatment/meditation.

3.) Parmentier, F. B. R. et al. Mindfulness and symptoms of depression and anxiety in the general population: The mediating roles of worry, rumination, reappraisal and suppression. Front. Psychol. 10, (2019).

4.) Goldstein, C. M., Josephson, R., Xie, S. & Hughes, J. W. Current perspectives on the use of meditation to reduce blood pressure. International Journal of Hypertension vol. 2012 11 (2012).

5.) Gu, Q., Hou, J. C. & Fang, X. M. Mindfulness Meditation for Primary Headache Pain: A Meta-Analysis. Chin. Med. J. (Engl). 131, 829–838 (2018).

6.) Zeidan, F., Johnson, S. K., Diamond, B. J., David, Z. & Goolkasian, P. Mindfulness meditation improves cognition: Evidence of brief mental training. Conscious. Cogn. 19, 597–605 (2010).

7.) Goyal, M. et al. Meditation programs for psychological stress and well-being: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Intern. Med. 174, 357–368 (2014).

8.) Totzeck, C. et al. Loving-Kindness Meditation Promotes Mental Health in University Students. Mindfulness (N. Y). 11, 1623–1631 (2020).

9.) Kabat-Zinn, J. et al. Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders. in American Journal of Psychiatry vol. 149 936–943 (American Psychiatric Publishing, 1992).