Meditation is a process of training your mind to focus and redirect your thoughts. In the last years meditation became so popular, and people started talking more and more about it. In this article we will focus on the health benefits of meditation.

1- Helps in reducing stress

People mainly practice meditation in order to reduce stress, and it really works!

Normally, mental and physical stress cause increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol.  Which leads to feeling stressed. These effects can disrupt sleep, promote depression and anxiety, increase blood pressure, and contribute to fatigue.

A study found that mindfulness meditations reduced the inflammatory response caused by stress.They also found that meditation may also improve symptoms of stress-related conditions, including irritable bowel syndrome, post-traumatic stress disorder, and fibromyalgia.

2- You become less anxious

Anxiety depends on stress, that means reducing stress will reduce anxiety as well.

A study found that 8 weeks of mindfulness meditation helped reduce anxiety symptoms in people with generalized anxiety disorder, along with increasing positive self-statements and improving stress reactivity.

Meditation may help in reducing social and job related anxiety.

3- Improves memory and attention

Meditation plays an important role in improving memory.

Better focus through regular meditation may increase memory and mental clarity. These benefits can help fight age-related memory loss and dementia.

On the other hand Meditation helps with attention span.

4- Enhances self awareness

Some forms of meditation may help you develop a stronger understanding of yourself, helping you grow into your best self.

For example, self-inquiry meditation explicitly aims to help you develop a greater understanding of yourself and how you relate to those around you.

5- Improves sleep

If you have a sleep disorder, try practicing meditation. 

Meditation can shorten the time it takes to fall asleep and improve sleep quality overall.

One study compared mindfulness-based meditation programs and found that people who meditated stayed asleep longer and had improved insomnia severity, compared with those who had an unmedicated control condition.

Meditation can help relax your body, releasing tension and placing you in a peaceful state in which you’re more likely to fall asleep.