Buddhist monks have claimed for centuries that meditation helps increase attention and concentration. New findings offer support for this notion.
Increases Thickness of Brain Regions
Researchers at Harvard Medical School examined Westerners who meditated for about 20 minutes every day, but didn't necessarily believe in the tenets of Buddhism. MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) was used to look at brain parts involved in memory and attention. The thickness of those regions had increased.
Those areas generally shrink as people get older, but older meditators in the study were able to avoid some of that shrinkage. This suggests that a regular meditation practice might help people maintain their ability to remember and focus on details.
Boosts Performance on Attention Tests
Another study indicates that meditation may boost performance on tests that measure attention. A University of Kentucky study showed that 10 people taught to meditate for 40 minutes did better on a test of attention than they did after reading for 40 minutes.
The study also showed that meditation can improve attention worsened by lack of sleep.
Produces a Jump in Brain Waves
A third study, of mostly Buddhist monks, found that meditation produced a jump in brain waves associated with vigilance. The study also showed that meditation activated brain regions involved in attention.
USA Today November 14, 2005
Dr. Mercola's Comment:Meditation is just one of many non-drug tools you can use to improve your physical and mental health. Earlier this year, I ran an article about the ways regular meditation changes how your brain works, not only in the short term, but possibly permanently.
One of the ways it might do so, apparently, is by increasing your ability to maintain attention. Numerous scientific studies have confirmed the health benefits of meditation.
One earlier study found that people who underwent eight weeks of meditation training boosted their immune systems.
Other ailments meditation can be useful for:
If your schedule is anything like mine, you are probably wondering how you can possibly fit regular meditation practice into your schedule, while still trying to fit in other healthy lifestyle choices like:
Well folks, the answer lies with new and exciting brain wave entrainment technology. This is a system in which you listen to relaxing sounds of a rainfall on a CD through stereo headphones.
Each channel has different frequencies that gradually but rapidly bring you into a state of blissful relaxation because your brain is now resonating at frequencies consistent with those observed in experienced meditators.
We have had the Insight CD System on our site for a while now and have received many testimonials as to how this has helped.
The Insight CD is actually set up so you can do a 20-minute quick session that gets you most all of the benefits. Most people, including me, can carve out 20 minutes; however, the CD is also set up so you can do a 40- or 60-minute session.
By listening to the CD you can literally train your brain to function at a high level of synchronization, opening up the way for a flood of positive effects. When left and right sides of your brain begin to work in concert with each other, electrical activity and energy patterns in your brain become more widespread throughout the brain instead of remaining confined to certain areas.
Research has indicated this type of "whole brain synchronization" is present in the brain at times of intense creativity, clarity and inspiration.
Therefore, whether you do it with the Insight audio CD or on your own in a quiet, undisturbed place, make sure you make meditation a priority of your daily life. It's a simple step that can have lasting and profound influences on both your physical health and mental well-being.
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