Our senior years are romanticized as being free of household responsibility and having time at hand to pursue the missed opportunities in life. These years are meant to live your dream. Unfortunately, growing old comes with its share of physical aches and pains, the empty nest syndrome, and unpredictable moods.
Meditation can help you significantly in living a holistic life that you deserve in your later years. Research has established the many physical and psychological benefits of meditation that can help you lead a happy life as you age.
Read on to know how meditation benefits you in your later decades in life.
What is Meditation?
Meditation is all about awareness of the moment you live in. Awareness of every breath you draw and your surroundings. Meditation teaches you to slow down and let go.
Benefits of Meditation
Meditation comes with immense benefits for both your mind, body, and soul.
Slows down dementia: Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia strike the elderly population more frequently than we can imagine. 50% of all above 85+ live with some form of dementia. The capacity to remember is the foundation of how we function. From operating basic things like household appliances and driving a car to remembering where we live, memory governs everything. Losing one’s memory may create havoc in your life.
Evidence suggests that meditation improves your cognitive ability. Meditation helps people feel more relaxed and less anxious by reducing cortisol, a stress hormone. Cortisol is known for the increased risk of dementia. Meditation aids in increasing the thickness and gray matter. This in turn delays the aging process of your brain.
Helps You De-stress and Increase Focus:
With so much going around us all the time, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Anxiety and stress can severely compromise the quality of our life. Slowing down and just enjoying the gifts of nature can do immense wonders. Meditation makes you learn to be present in the moment and feel relaxed. Regular meditation help you mind organize your thoughts better and have a clear perspective.
Sharpens Mental Alertness:
Meditation has immense physical benefits that manifest in overall psychological and emotional well-being. Did you know that meditation invigorates your memory centers? Regular meditation leads to a change in the structure of your brain. The area associated with negative emotions like stress, anxiety, etc diminishes and the area responsible for self-awareness expands. People who meditate experience increased focus and creativity. Evidence is also suggestive that meditation helps in maintaining both long and short-term memory.
Improves Your Sleep:
Improved sleep is directly related to a higher quality of life. People with poor sleeping habits often experience irritability and loss of focus. As you age, a good night's sleep becomes elusive and older people often complain of insomnia. Regular meditation is linked to the production of a higher level of melatonin, a hormone that regulates your sleeping pattern. In addition, the lower levels of stress also add to the quality of sleep.
Meditation is all about mindful living and enjoying the moment you are in. Incorporating it into your daily routine would reap you immense benefits - physically, emotionally, and physiologically. A happy- stressful senior year is what all of us want and this is exactly what meditation guarantees.