DOES MEDITATION WORK?
Have people ever asked you whether Meditation actually works? Surely sometimes you have felt pressured to justify your choice to meditate.Or maybe you wonder yourself whether all that time spent over breathing, mantras and visualizations is actually beneficial for you. Well, I’m sure that after reading what I’ve researched, you’ll have no doubts left.
Does Meditation work? Many recent studies have found that meditation does work and benefits different areas of our life, fostering our mental and physical wellbeing. From increasing concentration and reducing stress, to building up your brain and reinforcing your immune system, meditation’s benefits appear to be countless.
If you practice meditation, you obviously know that it does make you feel better. But maybe you’re wondering how meditation actually works, or about its effects on your body and mind. And how long do you need to practice to see those effects? Read along, I promise I’ll answer these and many other questions.
DOES MEDITATION WORK?
Whether you are a beginner or an experienced meditator, you do know that meditation does work because of the way you feel after each session or generally in life. What you don’t probably know is how to respond to your colleagues’ mocking looks when you’re spending part of your lunch break meditating. But here’s the good news: meditation has actually been proven to work scientifically!
Buddhist monks have meditated for thousands of years and have highlighted the benefits of meditation without need for scientific support. However, nowadays we like to have proof to back up our choices and, thankfully, neuroscientists really like to take MRIs of people’s brains during the weirdest activities. During the last decades, their attention has focused on meditation and they have actually been able to see what goes on in the brain during practice.
Firstly, it’s important to mention that most studies have focused on a specific type of meditation, i.e. mindfulness, where your attention is focused on the present moment and one single thought, mostly your breathing. That doesn’t mean, however, that other forms of meditation don’t carry out the same benefits. The mindfulness practice is probably easier to observe… and the proven benefits of those observations are great!
The University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) has been phenomenally active on this topic. In 2016, one of their studies showed that a 3-month course in yoga and meditation works in preventing many emotional and cognitive problems leading to Alzheimer and other forms of dementia. Indeed, yoga would benefit the participants in more areas than memory training, helping with mood, anxiety and copying skills.
Another UCLA team showed that meditation could help people addicted to stimulants fight depression and anxiety, so avoiding relapse. In 2017, instead, Tai Chi was in the spotlight, as UCLA researchers proved that it helps breast cancer survivors fight insomnia, with the additional benefits of improving fatigue and depression3.
You’ll be happy to know though that incredible benefits have been found by Harvard University also for generally healthy meditators. Indeed, researchers showed that, after an 8-week mindful program, MRIs could report increased gray-matter density in the participants’ hippocampus, important for learning and memory. And that with just 27 minutes of meditation a day!
Not satisfied yet? Many other studies have shown that meditation works in improving focus and productivity in multi-tasking jobs, that it can help regulate anxiety and, last but not least, it can make you much happier7.
DOES MEDITATION WORK FOR EVERYONE?
If you talk to meditation gurus or some researchers, they will assure you that meditation works for everyone, provided you do it properly. After all, if you focus on the present moment, on your breathing or mantra, and let your thoughts and worries just be,without affecting you, how could you possibly not feel better?
However, many other researchers state that meditation is not for everyone!After all, you are different from anyone else in the World. So, saying that meditation works for everyone is like saying that a low-carb diet is the universal cure against obesity. It simply isn’t, because what works for you might not work as well for me.
Meditation is not a cure-all remedy; it’s one way to develop the skill to pause from our busy life, but not the only one. So if you’ve tried it and feel that it doesn’t work for you, don’t feel bad or frustrated. It’s fine, you’ll find your remedy somewhere else.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR MEDITATION TO BE EFFECTIVE?
If you’re looking for a more relaxed and calmer attitude towards life, you’ll notice that a much calmer version of yourself will be there immediately after your practice, if you did it properly. That’s obviously just a momentaneous benefit though. If you want the feeling to be part of what you are, of your way to face life, you need to practice daily for at least a month, and then you’ll see the first emotional benefits.
For other benefits, like increased memory and focus, studies show that you need at least 8 weeks of daily practice4. You can easily see the parallels with exercising, where you’ll have the first small results after 4 weeks. If you want deep body changes though, like lower blood pressure or stronger immune system, you need to make your meditation (or gym) practice a long-term commitment.
WHAT MEDITATION DOES FOR THE BRAIN
We got it, meditating can have great all-round benefits for your whole persona. But let’s be a bit picky and see what meditation actually does for your brain…
More and more studies keep highlighting the biggest benefit meditation can carry out for your brain, i.e. stress and anxiety reduction. Indeed, training to let go of negative emotions encourages more positive thinking, which clears your mind, leads you to better choices, fewer regrets… and a better attitude overall!
Other studies, together with the Harvard one I previously mentioned4, have confirmed the link between meditation practice and enhanced memory and other cognitive processes, like emotional regulation and sustained attention. Great perks if you’re working or studying.
If what you’re worried about is your ageing process instead, meditation can help there as well! I’m obviously referring to brain ageing (I’m not too sure about meditation effects on wrinkles unfortunately), but researchers at UCLA have found that long-term meditators, who have been practicing for at least 20 years, have better preserved aged brains than non-meditators. I’ll take that!
Also, did you know that mind-wandering is associated with being less happy, ruminating and worrying about past or future? Quite annoying, isn’t it? Well, mindfulness meditation can help you there too, as it apparently decreases the activity of our DMN (Default Mode Network), which is responsible for mind-wandering and self-focused thinking.
Even if you’re sceptical, with all these supporting studies I’d honestly give meditation a go. What’s the worst that could happen? You might just spend 10 minutes a day relaxing, for the present moment.
WHAT MEDITATION DOES FOR THE BODY
The ancient Latins used to say “Menssana in Corporesano” (meaning “healthy mind in healthy body”), therefore, after looking at the brain, we cannot forget what meditation does for the body.
Many of the mental and physical benefits of meditation derive from stress reduction, but you probably already knew that, as stress is one of the main reasons people start meditating. But if you stop and reflect a second, you’ll realise that simply reducing your stress levels will impact greatly on your whole body.
Heart attacks, high blood pressure, insomnia and even sexual dysfunctions are all unpleasant results of leading a stressful life, which studies say we can counteract by engaging in meditation, especially mindfulness. Indeed, by managing your stress you can really keep your heart rate, respiration and blood pressure in the healthy range.
Do you want more? Well, American studies have also demonstrated that meditation, particularly mindfulness, can help dealing with digestive issues, specifically Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), a condition that affects millions of people!
And if all these benefits are not enough, stay tuned because there’s more to come. Indeed, scientists are now studying the healing properties of specific meditation techniques, and all because of a Tibetan monk who allegedly cured his gangrened leg using prana practice. According to Dr. W. C. Bushell, one of the researchers who started studying the case, scientific evidence would suggest prana meditation causes increased local blood flow, metabolic activity and oxygenation.
Is meditation enough to save you from deadly conditions? I wouldn’t go that far but, just in case, I’ll keep meditating.
HOW MEDITATION HELPS WITH SPECIFIC CONDITIONS
The number of areas where meditation has positive effects is growing by the day. Whether it’s because of its current popularity or because there is an actual need for new treatments and new hope in specific sectors, the reality is that more and more studies are arising to see where the limits of meditation lie.
1. ADHD
When hearing about Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder you probably think about kids in school age. However, this condition affects more adults than you think and, with increasing awareness, more and more studies have started to look at mindfulness meditation as an alternative treatment.
In a pilot study of mindfulness training 32 adults affected by ADHD were randomly assigned to an 8-week group-based mindfulness meditation training program or a wait-list control group. After collecting their data regarding ADHD core symptoms and other measures, the mindfulness group was involved in weekly 2.5 hours sessions, where participants meditated and were explained at-home practices. The goal for this group was to promote the regulation of attention, and at the end of the 8-week trial 64% of them reported at least a 30% decrease of inattentive or hyperactive symptoms.
It’s a great result, especially considering the many side effects that medications for ADHD have on patients.
2. Anger
if you’ve ever experienced anger, you know it’s not a pleasant feeling, neither for you nor for the receiver. Apart from your mood, even your body can be badly affected, because anger causes stress, and therefore accelerated heart rate, faster breathing, increased blood pressure.
However, the good news is that recent studies have suggested that meditation, particularly mindfulness, can reduce the physical signs of anger (and preserve your health as a consequence of that) in both new and experienced meditators17. That, just after a single 20-minute session, which is remarkable!
Not only, but other studies have demonstrated that, by practising mindfulness for as little as 3 weeks,you could actually inhibit your aggressive responses to provocations. In the study, indeed, the meditating group was much less prone to revenge after receiving a harsh critique, than the non-meditating control group. Developing a non-judgmental orientation toward your challenging experiences could therefore help you keep your cool.
3. Anxiety / Social Anxiety
A person with anxiety struggles to deal with thoughts that have far too much power, so recent studies have looked into mindfulness as an alternative treatment to anxiety, specifically because of the inherent nature of the practice. Indeed, if you have escalating thoughts you can’t control, by using mindfulness you start realizing that thoughts are only thoughts: it’s OK to notice them, but then you can let them go.In a 2018 study, a mindfulness-based stress reduction program helped decrease symptoms in people with generalized anxiety disorder, which involves hard-to-control worries, poor sleep, and irritability.
Under the anxiety spectrum, the most common disorder is social anxiety (SAD), an intense, debilitating fear of being judged or humiliated in social situations. For these people even meeting a friend can be overwhelming, imagine that! Fortunately, according to a study from the University of Amsterdam, mindfulness can help patients with SAD gain more control over their attention, otherwise uniquely focused on themselves.
4. Depression
With depression being an increasingly common issue, studies have started to look into alternative treatments to antidepressants and psychotherapy, that don’t work for every patient. A Harvard study looked at meditation and demonstrated how it can change brain regions specifically linked with depression, i.e. the pre-frontal cortex (the “me center”) and the amygdala (the “fear center).
The “me centre” is where you worry about the future and ruminate about the past, whereas the “fear center” controls the emission of stress hormone, cortisol, which in case of depression reacts to a danger that is only in your mind. It’s not surprising how their interaction can throw you into a depression vortex!
But, according to this study, meditation can help you break the connection between the two centres, because it helps the brain keep its focus and, when negative thinking, emotions or physical sensations arise, it trains you to return to that initial focus, helping you reduce depression triggers.
5. Insomnia / Sleeping
Whether you have troubles sleeping because of the thoughts bombarding your mind or because you suffer from insomnia, meditation can help you too.
According to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), insomnia can be caused by medical conditions (like restless legs or sleep apnea), depression, anxiety or unhealthy lifestyles, and can be tackled with meditation.
A study from 2013 demonstrated how the use of mindful awareness practice could give immediate positive results to patients struggling with sleeping disorders, much better than a sleep hygiene education control group. Not only the people included in the mindfulness program slept better, but even during the day their sleep-related impairments were dramatically reduced.
The implications are clear. If you can’t sleep well your whole day is messed up, and meditation offers an easy, accessible way to train your body and mind to relax just before you put them to sleep and re-energise for the following day.
6. OCD
Researchers specializing in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder have found, over the years, that mindfulness can improve the results obtained through cognitive behavioral therapy, first line treatment for this and other mental health issues. As you know, the core philosophy of mindfulness is to focus on the present without judgement… this last part is the difficult bit for a person with OCD because, when faced with a trigger, they should accept it as it is, discomfort included, without responding.
Studies have found the mindfulness approach to be right!If compared with patients who used a distraction technique (i.e. think about something else) when exposed to an unwanted trigger, those using mindfulness techniques felt less urged to neutralize it with compulsions, whereas the other group experienced no changes.
It’s a great result that, over the long run, brought wider benefits to the patients, who could accept their condition, handle emotions better and saw their mood improved.
7. Pain
No one likes to be in pain, whether it’s momentary or chronic. Because of that, many people use opioids, very strong drugs that, over time, can even give you dependence. Not a nice picture, both for your mental and your financial health. However, meditation has found its niche also in this field of pain.
According to a 2016 American study, mindfulness meditation would work as an effective pain relief without engaging the opioid receptors in the brain (involved in addiction). In this specific scenario, researchers have found that mindfulness’ strength is to reduce your awareness of external sensations (aka the pain), therefore giving patients a moderately effective pain relief.
Despite using MRIs during trials, experts are not quite sure how mindfulness exactly works in relieving pain. What they know is that it does work and it’s a cheap, healthy alternative to opioids. With no side effects, I guess it’s always worth giving it a try!
8. Stress
We have already largely spoken about the incredible stress-relieving power of meditation. Given our frenetic life, I’m sure you too have felt more relaxed and calm after a meditation session: your heart rate decreases, your breathing slows down, your muscles relax… meditation is the easiest path to stress-relief.
Unfortunately, many people deal with a harsher version of stress, i.e. post-traumatic stress disorder.One of the most thorough researches available on this topic has been organized by the US Army, who looks into alternative cures to counteract its effects for their soldiers.
Specifically, the research compared Yoga and Chi practices, determining that Yoga is more effective in reducing stress and can lead to permanent meditation-induced physiological changes.
Army and meditation seem two completely different realms, I know, but if the army is using it for their soldiers, I dare say the benefits we can obtain from it are really worth our time.
9. Weight Loss
I’m a wellbeing addict, so to me the secret to lose weight (and keep it off) lies in healthy eating and regular exercise. However, for many people this life-style is harder to achieve, and to help them there’s a new study from the University of Montreal.
According to this study,mindfulness strategies are moderately effective in terms of weight loss for obese people, but they are very successful in reducing obesity-related eating behaviors. Not only, mindfulness training appeared to be better than lifestyle-changing programs in lower weight maintenance.
Even Harvard has investigated the topic further, detecting the key for mindful weight-loss programs: training your awareness for typical hunger/fullness cues, which are harder to detect for obese people, who tend to overeat also based on sadness, anxiety or irritation.
Mindful practice would help you notice the common patterns of emotional eating by drawing awareness on yourself and your ability to deal with the craving/discomfort.
10. Make You Happier
Did you know that scientists used to think that we all have a set “happiness index”? Apparently, no bad events could change it in the long run, you’re either prone to be happy or not. I don’t know if I believe that, but what I’m happy to share with you is that there’s a kind of meditation that can increase your baseline happiness level.
According to a 2008 study, loving kindness meditation could be the key for a happier life.
In this 7-week study, participants experienced an increase in daily positive emotions, which subsequently led to a higher sense of life satisfaction. This increase in happiness was possible because, according to the researchers, meditation practice is active and can be made personal, as people can lengthen their session or alter their focus. Apparently,if you can find as little as 2 minutes a day to meditate for 21 days, you’re all set for life happiness.
11. Improve Memory
As I mentioned before, several studies have determined that meditation can positively affect regions of the brain involved with memory. If only 27 minutes a day of mindfulness can help you thicken the gray matter around your hippocampus after 8 weeks, how can you not give it a try?
And it doesn’t stop here. A 2013 study involving university students demonstrated that even a shorter period of mindfulness training can carry out positive results in your working memory. The students had to attend a mindfulness class, that emphasize posture and focused attention on a sensory experience,for 10-20 minutes daily, to integrate with another 10 minutes of meditation in their own time. After taking a standardized test (before and after the 2 weeks), the meditation group saw their results increase and improvements also in their working-memory.
Isn’t that incredible that meditation can have so many differentiated positive effects on you? I can’t help but wonder where it will stop… At this point, it looks like the sky is the limit!
RELATED QUESTIONS
Does meditation increase intelligence?
According to some studies, meditation does increase your fluid intelligence, i.e. your ability to think on the spot, use logic and solve problems. Indeed, meditation favors neuroplasticity, your brain’s ability to change its form and functions resulting from experience, with only 20 minutes a day.
How many types of meditation are there?
There are as many types of meditation as cultures in the World. However, the main ones are 6: spiritual (to become the best we can be), mindfulness (for concentration and awareness), movement (like Tai Chi), mantra (a re-aligning vibration), visualization (using mind creativity) and focus (here and now).
How long should a beginner meditate?
A beginner should meditate for as little as 5 minutes to begin with. For best practice, find a quiet place with no distractions, set an alarm so you don’t worry about time, sit comfortably and start focusing on your breathing. You can increase time according to your needs and concentration skills.