Meditation has become a very popular way to de-stress in recent years. With readily available apps, you can start exploring meditation too. This post will outline the effects of meditation.
Meditation: the Popularization
Meditation has drawn popular interest from academics such as Herbert Benson and Jon Kabat-Zinn starting in the 1960s and 1970s. The Relaxation Response, a book written by Herbert Benson in 1975, helped popularize Transcendental Meditation, a technique developed by Maharishi Mahesh in the 1950s. Jon Kabat-Zinn created a standardized 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course in the 1970s at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center.
Effects of Meditation
meditation’s effect on mood and sleep
One of the known benefits of meditation is its calming effects of reducing anxiety. A neuroimaging study in 2012 using fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) by Gaëlle Desbordes, a neuroscientist at Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) showed changes in the amygdala, a brain region that regulates emotion, among those who practiced for 2 months of meditation. Another study in 2012 by Sara Lazar using fMRI at MGH showed thickening of the brain after an 8-week meditation course.
Another benefit of meditation is its protective effects on heart health. A study conducted by Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at MGH and affiliate medical centers indicates that people who meditated over an 8-week period had changes in genes that regulate inflammation, glucose metabolism, and blood pressure (however, there are weaknesses to how the study was conducted).
meditation’s cost-effectiveness
Meditation: Health Benefit
A treatment that incorporates meditation practice called Multicomponent Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) can help adults who have chronic insomnia. Both the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the American College of Physicians recommended CBT-I. It involves 6-8 sessions during which cognitive, behavioral, and psychoeducational interventions are conducted to help adjust thoughts and behaviors about sleeping. Meditation is conducted to reduce stress, anxiety, and increased relaxation with focused attention.
Summary
Since its popularization in the 1960s and 1970s, meditation has been embraced by many for helping to reduce stress. While there are ongoing studies on its health effects, some studies appear to show benefits. We explored the effects of meditation in this post. Our future posts may explore more about other aspects of meditation. Thank you for reading our post!
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Disclaimer: This web post is for information purposes. If you have medical needs, please contact your primary care physician.
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