3 health benefits of daily meditation

You may feel that you don’t have any extra time in the day. Between work, family responsibilities, personal commitments, chores, and errands, the days can rush by in a blur. Your brain feels the impact when you don’t take moments in your day to relax, get quiet, and tune into the present moment. The brain, like every other part of our body, needs time to rest and recharge, but most of us only allow it to do that while we are sleeping (that is, if we get any quality sleep).

When your brain doesn’t have adequate time to rest, you will feel the impact quickly in the form of stress and its resulting symptoms. Physical symptoms of stress include headache, muscle tension, fatigue, brain fog, stomach issues, and inability to sleep well. Your mood is impacted by stress as well – you may notice you’re more irritable, anxious, lack focus, or feel a sense of sadness or depression. Stress is one of the leading causes of negative health outcomes with thousands of scientific studies proving each year that the more we stress, the less healthy we are.

Luckily, making a few small changes to your daily routine can greatly reduce stress. Meditation, or the practice of focusing your mind on the present moment, has been shown to have huge health benefits even when practiced for just a few minutes a day.

Here are just some of the many benefits of daily meditation: 

• Reduction of stress and it’s symptoms. When you take time to quiet your mind, your body slows its production of stress-induced cortisol and cytokines, which cause inflammation and can lead to negative outcomes like sleep disruption, brain fog, anxiety, and heightened blood pressure. Studies have also shown that meditation relieves conditions that are related to or exacerbated by stress like digestive upset, fibromyalgia, anxiety, and mood disorders.
• Pain relief. As mentioned above, meditation leads to a reduction in bodily inflammation that can occur alongside chronic stress. Inflammation is the leading cause of chronic pain in the body. As daily meditation slows the production of inflammatory stress chemicals, many people notice a reduction in pain, muscle tension, and inflammation-induced discomfort.
• Depression and anxiety alleviation. Numerous studies have shown that people who practice daily mindfulness meditation experience a reduction in negative thoughts associated with anxiety and depression when compared with control groups that did not meditate. The reason? Meditation reduces the body’s creation of stress-related inflammatory chemicals like cytokines, a leading cause of depression. Meditation has been proven to enhance one’s overall mood and promote a more positive and grateful outlook on life, even for those with chronic mood disorders like depression and anxiety.
• Mental clarity and longevity. Daily meditation helps improve focus, mental clarity, and even memory. The benefits of this improved brain functioning have even been shown to help reduce the risk of aging-related memory loss and dementia. The stress-reducing benefits of meditation have also been shown to be beneficial for those caring for loved ones with dementia.

Getting started with meditation

Thinking about starting to meditate can be intimidating for those of us raised in the U.S. Meditation may bring to mind images of people living in a faraway country like Tibet or India who isolate themselves from the world and meditate for days on end. But anyone can meditate, even if you only have a few minutes per day. Here are some tips for getting started:

• Find a quiet place to sit comfortably. Set a timer for two minutes and, until the timer goes off, direct your focus to your breathing. You will notice thoughts entering your mind – this is ok. Simply acknowledge the thoughts, let them pass on, and refocus on your breath. As this gets easier (and it will the longer you do it) feel free to add more time.
• As you are doing a daily chore like washing the dishes, focus in on your five senses. Either out loud or in your mind, name two things that you see. Then, name two things that you hear. Next, name two things that you feel. Finally, name two things that you smell or taste. Even this short practice of tuning into your current surroundings can have a positive impact.
• When you feel stressed, take a moment to practice measured breathing. Breathe in for a count of four, hold for a count of 3, and breathe out for a count of four. Repeat five to ten times.
• Try downloading an app like Headspace or Calm to your smartphone that provides short, daily guided meditation.

I’m Dr. Corinne Kennedy, and I’m passionate about helping people like you live a healthy and positive life. I offer expert chiropractic services to individuals of all ages in Wauwatosa and surrounding communities, specializing in back and neck pain relief, whiplash treatment, and more. For questions or to schedule a consultation, give Kennedy Chiropractic a call today.