Meditation improves the performance of our brain: know the 6 keys

Meditation is a practice historically linked to certain religious traditions, and is It has given both in Buddhism and Hinduism as well as in certain currents of Christianity and the Islam; however, today we know that it can be applied outside the context of religion due to the benefits it provides for well-being.

And it is that well practiced, meditation helps us to make our brain perform better both when tackling complex tasks intellectually and emotionally demanding experiences. Therefore, in this article We will see how we can achieve this effect by meditating as a routine on a day-to-day basis..

• Related article: "The scientific evidence of Mindfulness: why and how it benefits us"

The benefits of meditation for the performance of the human brain

Throughout decades of study, psychology and health professionals have found a series of benefits linked to meditation, and some of them are reflected in the way in which the nerve cells of our brain operate when processing information. information. Let's see what these brain changes associated with greater mental agility and ability to face challenges consist of.

1. increases concentration

One of the first cognitive abilities that are improved with a frequent practice of daily meditation is the concentration, that is, the ability to focus attention on a given task for a while and in a manner uninterrupted.

Psychology and mental health professionals have shown in their studies that meditation stimulates GABA production (an inhibitory neurotransmitter of the central nervous system), which helps us to concentrate better and stop having our attention divided between various stimuli.

This helps us in many ways on a daily basis, for example by improving our performance in school and university exams or forgetting for a few hours the daily concerns that we may have and focusing attention on any important activity that we are doing.

• You may be interested in: "Lack of concentration: causes and 10 tips to combat it"

2. Allows you to disconnect from obsessive thoughts

This possibility of disconnection from day-to-day problems and rumination of thoughts is one of the main reasons for which many people meditate daily, since the benefits of this practice have been widely demonstrated at the time of overcome recurring thoughts that are distressing or cause discomfort.

Meditation helps synchronize neural networks in all parts of the brain by focusing attention by dedicating it to just one clear task, which supposes a mental reset that allows us to get out of that tendency to think the same thing over and over again and in the same way manner.

This helps us to rest from daily problems and to face ourselves with a constructive and not self-sabotaging mentality.

• Related article: "What is an obsession? Causes, symptoms and treatment"

3. Helps tolerate pain

Meditation helps to mitigate and reduce physical pain by increasing the tolerance threshold. This happens because the meditative practice does not seek an objective in itself (that the pain disappear) but rather leads us to a state of observation. (contemplation) of our physical, mental and emotional dimension, in a way that allows us to be with pain without adding additional suffering (pain emotional) caused by resistance, the tendency (legitimate and human) to want things not to be as they are when they are experiences nasty. For this reason, meditation is commonly used in treatments done in the context of health psychology, specifically for people with chronic pain or other types of ailments.

This has been clearly demonstrated in the practice of Mindfulness, a technique used in psychology and also in many other disciplines in the field of mental health, where the capacity for full awareness and concentration in the moment is trained present. In fact, the most widespread Mindfulness program, MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) was started by its creator, Jon Kabat-Zinn at the Hospital General of Massachusetts in the late 1970s to help people with chronic pain and illness better cope with their discomfort, both physical and psychological.

• You may be interested in: "The 13 types of pain: classification and characteristics"

4. Helps get more out of rest

Sleep habits are another area that is improved when people consistently maintain a daily or weekly meditation rhythm.

This is especially recommended for people with insomnia or sleep problems and in general for anyone who has trouble falling asleep or having a more restful sleep during the night.

It is proven that meditation helps to fall asleep and to repair the nervous system for the rest if you meditate before going to sleep, since this reduces levels of stress, anxiety or agitation.

• Related article: "Types of stress and its triggers"

5. Allows to restore cognitive abilities

Daily meditation also has a restorative effect on a wide variety of cognitive functions and abilities, allowing us to greatly improve brain performance on many levels. For example, it helps us to disconnect in times of stress, to do a "mental reset" and to recover attention span to concentrate on those tasks that must be attended to.

With meditation we can make the most of the breaks made during work days, something that allows restoring capacities such as concentration, problem solving (without staying paralyzed by uncertainty) and in general the ability to perform better and have a greater productivity.

6. makes us feel better

Finally, another of the benefits that we must take into account about the practice of meditation is its ability to generate states of relaxation, balance and, above all, emotional well-being. by promoting the production of endorphins. This is something that makes this practice an element of motivation: it can be used as an incentive. For example, it is often beneficial to reward ourselves with a short meditation session at the end of a study session for competitive exams or work on a work project.

• You may be interested in: "Endorphins (neurotransmitters): functions and characteristics"

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