Meditation is an ancient tradition with roots in multiple religions, yet anyone can benefit from practicing it freely and naturally. Meditating offers immediate as well as long-term benefits.
One study revealed that regular meditators had telomeres which were approximately seven and a half years younger than non-meditators – this finding is notable, yet future studies will need to be much larger and more controlled in scope.
Physical
Biomedical research typically centers around molecular processes and repeatable results; yet a Nobel Prize-winning scientist has made headlines by venturing into territory few mainstream scientists would dare explore: the study of spiritual practices as they pertain to our physical wellbeing. His team is conducting detailed studies that hint that meditation may, as Eastern traditions claim, slow the aging process while lengthening lifespan.
Researchers believe meditation may slow the effects of aging by decreasing production of stress hormones like cortisol, which has been linked to epigenetic changes linked with disease and reduced telomere length. Meditation also may prevent age-related DNA changes by blocking an age-related chemical process called methylation that has been linked with lost telomeres as well as depression which increases risk for age-related conditions.
Meditation’s anti-aging benefits come mainly through its psychological advantages, such as lower stress levels and an upbeat attitude toward life. A positive outlook has been linked to longer telomeres. Meditation also benefits the body directly by improving skin quality, reducing wrinkles and fine lines, increasing blood flow throughout our bodies bringing oxygen directly to tissues thereby prolonging cell lifespans and prolonging lives.
Meditation has many physical effects that have been documented, including increased bone density and flexibility, improved sleep quality and stronger immune function. Furthermore, it can improve symptoms associated with chronic disorders like IBS, post-traumatic stress disorder or fibromyalgia – though many of these benefits likely relate to its ability to reduce stress and anxiety levels. It should be noted that much of its effectiveness comes from reduced stress levels caused by meditation practice.
Meditation has been demonstrated to protect brain tissue against degeneration associated with age by improving cognitive function. Meditation also reduces age-related emotional instability and enhances memory and attention span, according to long-term studies of lifelong meditators’ brains, showing they experience less degeneration of specific areas and less likely develop Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia.
Mental
Meditation can be an invaluable ally in the fight against aging. Research has demonstrated its power to enhance focus, lift mood and decrease stress – benefits which are visible both physically and cellular level. Meditation has been proven to reduce inflammation responses which cause cell damage; reduce shortening telomeres as an indicator of cell aging; as well as prevent cell death leading to increased cancer risks.
Meditation not only combats aging but has been shown to increase levels of an enzyme which repairs telomeres, thus protecting against their shortening. Studies have also shown that long-term meditators experience decreased blood pressure, heart disease and depression rates while improving cognitive function as they age. They also have higher concentrations of serotonin and oxytocin hormones which counteract any negative impacts caused by stress.
Long-term meditators have also been found to possess younger brains compared to non-meditators of similar age. This may be attributed to meditation’s potential ability to help prevent or slow brain atrophy as we age, as well as increased likelihood of healthy habits such as eating well and exercising regularly among meditators.
Studies of long-term meditators have yielded some striking findings: their brains appear 7.5 years younger than non-meditators with similar calendar ages due to meditation’s potential benefits in slowing cellular aging, yet further research will need to confirm this result.
Meditation has also been shown to positively impact digestion and overall health, increase energy flow throughout the body and stimulate cellular renewal, reduce stress hormones that contribute to collagen and elastin degradation, which leads to wrinkled skin, as well as reduce the inflammatory response which accelerates aging, such as cancer.
Emotional
Meditation can help slow cellular aging. Cellular aging is measured by the length of telomeres – protein-DNA structures that protect chromosomes as they replicate during cell division – becoming shorter over time as cells become damaged from repeated division and eventually undergo apoptosis (cell death). Studies have found that those who meditate regularly tend to have longer telomeres than non-meditators; this could have major ramifications for treating age-related diseases.
At the cellular level, one reason may be due to regular meditation’s ability to reduce stress. Studies have revealed that those who regularly meditate experience lower levels of cortisol– a stress hormone known to negatively impact cellular functions like aging and neuroplasticity–than those who don’t. Meditation has also been associated with reduced inflammation processes and greater cognitive flexibility- both of which are beneficial in improving mental health.
Meditation could also slow aging by helping us shift from negative mindsets to more positive ones. Negative cognitions based on fear-based beliefs can lead to increased stress arousal which damage cellular longevity; conversely, positive cognitions like compassion, loving-kindness and equanimity foster an outlook of life which in turn promotes it.
Though these promising findings remain, many unanswered questions exist on the age-defying effects of meditation. While several cross-sectional studies have linked meditation with reduced brain aging, controlled longitudinal studies will need to be conducted in order to demonstrate causality. As meditation encompasses many techniques and styles, it’s also crucial to differentiate among various types of practices. Some practices, like concentration on an apparent contradiction or paradox and contemplation on spiritual matters have been lumped together under the label “contemplation”. Meditation practices like visualization, focussing on an object and repeating words or syllables have been labeled “affect-centered techniques”, suggesting they could account for some of the anti-ageing benefits seen in this research.
Spiritual
Meditation may sound counter-intuitive – sitting quietly with eyes closed and repeating something over and over, seemingly doing nothing. Yet its ancient spiritual roots — taught across world religions for centuries – and modern diagnostic imaging techniques such as EEG or fMRI scans demonstrate its beneficial effect on brain and mental health.
Meditation appears to reverse aging on a cellular level. Researchers have discovered that consistent meditation practice can decrease chronic stress-induced shortening of telomeres and age-related diseases, according to one study. Long-term meditators had reduced inflammation and stress response from psychological and chemical stressors in a lab study; meditation also counteracted this adverse impact by activating an enzyme known as telomerase which lengthened their telomeres thereby countering its negative impact.
Meditation can also slow aging by improving mood and decreasing depression. Depression has been linked with accelerated biological aging, thought to be caused by low-grade systemic inflammation that degrades telomeres. Loving-kindness meditation – a type of heart-based practice known to boost mental wellbeing and lower depression risk – has long been proven effective at combatting this problem by encouraging you to send love and kindness toward yourself, family members, friends or anyone else – creating bonds of connection that soften the pain associated with being apartness while softening feelings of isolation that lead to slow biological aging and potentially slow biological aging overall.
Studies have also demonstrated how meditation can prevent and reverse the gradual loss of gray matter associated with aging, by increasing blood flow to the brain and countering stress, while simultaneously having reduced cortisol levels compared with non-meditators. One recent study even showed long-term meditators having younger-looking brains due to reduced inflammation caused by meditation which reduces oxidative stress.
