Meditation is a habitual process of training your mind to focus and redirect your thoughts. This practice is increasing in popularity as the scientific benefits are being discovered. A person can train themselves to use meditation as a way to reduce stress, develop concentration, think positively, increase self-discipline, create healthy sleep patterns, and even increase one’s tolerance of pain.

Some of the benefits of meditation include the following;

• REDUCE STRESS – Both mental and physical stress cause an increase of the hormone cortisol. This hormone can be harmful as it elevates inflammation chemicals called cytokines. This can cause a disruption in sleep, promote depression and anxiety, increase blood pressure, and foggy thinking.
• CONTROLS ANXIETY – Anxiety increases stress on the body. Meditation can redirect this harmful focus and help reduce the symptoms of anxiety disorders including phobias, paranoia, obsessive-compulsive behavior and panic attacks. Yoga, another type of meditation method may also help to reduce anxiety and stress.
• EMOTIONAL HEALTH – Learning how to meditate on positive thoughts can lead to an improved outlook on life as well as a better self-image. Thinking this way over a long period of time can assist with less depressive thoughts and feelings and increase optimism.
• LENGTHENS ATTENTION SPAN – Learning to focus during meditation helps with strength and endurance of your attention abilities. This allows one to concentrate on a task for longer periods of time and increase work production. It also helps deter a wandering mind.
• MAY REDUCE AGE RELATED MEMORY LOSS – When meditation is used along with repetitive chants and finger movements, improved memory tasks followed. This type of meditation is called Kirtan Kriya. Scientific benefits for this type of meditation include enhanced brain blood flow, increased healthy brain size, increased Telomerase (parts of genes that keep us young), and decrease bad genes.
• HELP FIGHT ADDICTIONS – Because meditation helps produce self-awareness, it can possibly help break triggers for addictive behaviors. One can learn to redirect their attention, increase willpower, control emotions and impulses as they begin to understand the cause behind their cravings.
• HELP CONTROL PAIN – Emotional and mental tension can add to physical pain. Mindfulness or meditation can help reduce pain because it removes the worry about it. As one becomes more proficient at this practice, it may be an additional way to help chronic pain.

There are many forms and types of meditation. It is something everyone can do to improve their mental and emotional health. It can be done anywhere. Do your own research and try it even if you only have a few minutes each day.

Tarpon Interventional Pain & Spine Care uses a variety of tools to mitigate chronic and acute pain. Call to discuss with our board-certified physicians, 972-596-1059.