How Meditation Can Save Your Life

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Anti-Anxiety Meditation : How Meditation Can Save Your Life By Reducing Stress

Your Perspective: Meditation is the ability to self regulate internal mental distractions.

Scientists Perspective: A means to enhance brain function and cognition in healthy and impaired individuals.

The average person has 70,000 thoughts per day

Meditation Goals:• Meditation exercises the mind in the same way we exercise our body--an active form of brain training.• It infuses thoughts with greater positivity, love, calm and joy.• Maintains balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.

Types of Stress:

Acute versus Chronic Stress1. Acute is a short term stress: Recent and anticipated demands and pressures.2. Chronic is a long term stress: Poverty, childhood trauma, family disfunction or environmental.

Physiology of Stress:1. Stressful event occurs2. Panic and / or tension ensues3. Increase in hormones such as cortisol, adrenaline, and epinephrine4. Increased blood pressure5. Energy diverted from immune, digestive, and reproductive systems

Stress Related Ailments:• Cardiovascular issues• anxiety• sleeplessness• addiction• depression• headache• weight gain• pain• fatigue• lack of motivation• weakened immune system

Benefits of Meditation:

Reduction in Test Groups Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure• Medical Students: Systolic -8 MM HG ; Diastolic -7 MM HG• Coronary Heart Disease Patients: Systolic -5.4 MM HG; Diastolic -4 MM HG• Elderly Retirement Home Residents: Systolic -8 MM HG; Diastolic -7 MM HG• Adults with Hypertension: Systolic -4 MM HG; Diastolic -2.2 MM HG

Ability to Reduce Symptoms of Depression, Anxiety and Pain• Effect of Meditation: 0.3• Effect of Antidepressants: 0.3

In a Sample of 201 African Americans with Coronary Heart Disease:A study showed a 43% reduction in risk for myocardial infarction and stroke after incorporating a Transcendental Meditation practice into their daily routine.

Percent Change in Amygdala Activity After Meditation :• The region of the brain connected to anxiety and stress• Mindfullness Meditation: -0.13;• Compassion Meditation: -0.05;• Control Group (no meditation) +0.05

Increased Gray Matter in the Hippocampus Important region of the brain for learning and memory• Controls: +.002• Mindfullness Based Stress Reduction: +.01

Sources:• umassmed.edu/cfm/stress-reduction/faqs/• youtube.com/watch?t=360&v=6J0fqswzxWM• well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/05/12/exercising-the-mind-to-treat-attention-deficits/• well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/28/how-meditation-may-change-the-brain/• well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/can-meditation-curb-heart-attacks/• well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/23/meditation-for-a-good-nights-sleep/• psyn-journal.com/article/S0925-4927%2810%2900288-X/abstract• circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/meeting_abstract/120/18_MeetingAbstracts/S461-a• news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8363302.stm/• secularbuddhism.org/meditation-support/basic-meditation-instructions/• sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2009/issue61/• chopra.com/ccl/discover-meditations-healing-power• loni.usc.edu/about_loni/education/brain_trivia.php• loni.usc.edu/media/newsevents.php?id=478• forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2015/02/09/7-ways-meditation-can-actually-change-the-brain• mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-symptoms/art-20050987?pg=1• apa.org/helpcenter/stress-kinds.aspx• apa.org/helpcenter/stress-body.aspx• ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3485650