meditation

How Meditation Impacts Daily Life

by Nicole's Blog

How Meditation Impacts Daily Life

Stressors fill the world around us. When looking for a way to combat this, meditation is an often-overlooked solution even though its benefits have been studied in the Western World since at least the 1970s. Meditation is extremely beneficial for a person’s daily health. The surprising thing, however, is just how beneficial regular meditation really is. Meditation can be practiced a variety of ways, but however you choose to do it, meditation reduces stress, improves mental clarity, improves mood, aids in sleep, and increases a person’s ability to problem solve. When practiced regularly, it also helps to build focus, eliminate negative thoughts, and change perspectives.

Stress Reduction

Probably the best-known reason for trying meditation is a reduction of stress. While many people know that stress is not good for them, few know the real damage it can cause. High levels of stress can inhibit beneficial sleep patterns. It can lead to anxiety and depression. It can lead to increased blood pressure, as well as mental and physical fatigue. Regular meditation decreases the effects of stress. It also has the effect of lessening the symptoms of stress-related conditions. Improvements to symptoms like irritable bowel syndrome and post-traumatic stress disorder can occur through regular meditation.

Help Decrease Anxiety

When reducing stress in life, there is a concurrent reduction in anxiety. This reduction can have numerous psychological benefits. For those that suffer from anxiety-related ailments like phobias and panic attacks, mediation offers substantial benefits. When combined with a physical movement such as yoga, the reduction in anxiety is considerable.

Can Lead to Better Self -Awareness

One of the central principals of all meditation is to listen to one’s self. The theory is that when this is done, people grow into the best version of themselves. A predisposition to harmful or negative thoughts improves with mediation. Meditation can help redirect these thoughts to a more beneficial state. Gaining awareness of chronic negative thoughts leads to better control of these thoughts. Accomplishing this on a regular basis leads to daily positive effects. This change in perception and attitude can positively impact relationships with others as well.

Become More Focused

Weightlifting builds muscle and continual mediation strengthens the mind. Performing meditation regularly increases the strength and focus of the mind. This change can lead to a mind that can focus more entirely on tasks at hand. It can improve mental functions like memory and attention span. Some theories suggest that meditation can even reverse mental patterns like worrying and wandering thoughts.

Combat Memory Loss

As people age, several systems in the body begin to deteriorate slowly. The many functions of the mind is no exception to this decline. A great deal of age-related decline comes from a lack of preventative care. Practicing meditation regularly can combat this decline by focusing the mind. This continual focusing through meditation can stem the tide of memory loss due to age.

The benefits of meditation go far beyond the mental. The mind and body are thoroughly connected. Improving mental function will lead to other physical improvements.

Insomnia

A common problem for many people is insomnia. Insomnia is often a side-effect of a mind filled with runaway thoughts. A calmer mind leads to less of this type of thinking. The added benefit of meditation is that it leads to a more relaxed body. Combining both factors can lead to deeper and better sleep.

Meditation can also help to control pain.

Pain is often a function of the mind’s perception of the physical body. A more controlled mind can control the thought of physical pain. Many palliative care practitioners are beginning to see the benefits of incorporating meditation into their treatment plans. This can be especially beneficial for those with chronic pain. Those that meditate learn to control all the thoughts of their mind. Mediation can mitigate and lessen regular pain over time.

The regular practice of mediation has benefits that can affect every part of the mind and body.The correlation between a more focused mind and physical, mental, and emotional benefits are hard to deny. Meditation leads to a calmer daily life and a more finely tuned mind and body. The best part of all of this is that even for beginners, regular meditation leads to almost immediate results.

 

Written by Charles Davenport for Senior Planning. Senior Planning is an eldercare planning agency, dedicated to helping seniors apply for benefits and find the care they need.

Lady in bed

Answer These 5 Questions to Enhance Your Sleep Without Medications

by Nicole's Blog

Insomnia can make you feel tempted to reach for prescription sleep medications. Those sleep aids can come with some dangerous side effects, though, and the health risks can be greater than the benefits for your sleep. So how can you find relief from insomnia without resorting to pills and sleep aids? You can start with these questions:

Do You Need a New Mattress?

If you’re struggling to fall asleep at night, your old bed may be to blame. While the debate rages on as to when to replace mattresses, most experts recommend investing in a new mattress if your current one is not providing proper support. Understanding support needs is critical when shopping for your new mattress as well, since certain mattress types are better suited for certain sleeping preferences and body types. For instance, back, stomach and combo sleepers may find that opting for a hybrid bed like the DreamCloud will provide the versatile support they need to improve their sleep hygiene. If your prefer to curl up on your side at night, then investing in a softer mattress like Saatva may provide enhanced alignment and support.

Is Your Bedroom Designed for Sleep?

This may seem like a silly question, since bedrooms are traditionally where we sleep at night, but how your bedroom is set up can determine how well you sleep through the night. For example, certain bedroom colors are more soothing than others. Soft shades of purple, green, and blue can help you drift off to dreamland faster, but you can also go with a bold black for better sleep. To maintain that sense of calm throughout your bedroom, stick with soft colors for decor and bedding as well, but feel free to add a pop of color with a random throw pillow. For even better sleep, you can also adjust the light and temperature in your bedroom at night.

Do You Watch TV Right Before Bed?

Falling asleep with the TV on is a common relaxation technique for many people. As it turns out, though, watching TV before bed is actually one of the worst ways to soothe yourself to sleep at night. While you may fall asleep with the TV on, you are less likely to stay asleep and your are less likely to experience the deep sleep needed to feel refreshed in the morning. Your best bet for improved sleep is to turn your TV off and keep it out of your bedroom. If you find yourself unable to sleep without a TV, you can also try dimming the screen and turning off autoplay.

Are You Getting Adequate Exercise?

When you just can’t seem to switch your body and brain off at night, you may need to reevaluate your exercise habits. You see, your body needs sleep to restore and replace energy, so the more energy you burn during the day, the more rest you need to feel recovered in the morning. To maximize this effect, try upping your workout routine to include at least 30 minutes of intense cardio a few times each week. You can always work out a little harder, if good sleep still feels elusive, but limit exercise to the morning hours to minimize negative impacts on your sleep.

Do You Eat Dinner Late at Night?

Having a little protein before bed can help you stay asleep longer, but heavy meals have the potential to ruin your sleep. In fact, many of your diet choices can have an impact on the quality of your sleep. Avoiding those heavy meals a few hours before bedtime can help, but you can also cut back on processed foods to prepare your body for sleep. Another sneaky culprit that could be affecting your sleep is caffeine. You know that drinking coffee before bedtime can make it harder to sleep, but there are some hidden caffeine sources to be aware of, too.

When you can’t sleep, you can’t fully function. With the tips above, hopefully you can restore your sleep hygiene without reaching for potentially dangerous sleep aids. If these tips don’t work and you are still struggling with insomnia, it may be time to consult your doctor.

Guest Blogger Gabriel Patel | Photo Credit: Rawpixel