Life in today’s world is fast-paced. While trying to keep up with the schedule, people tend to stress.
That further leads them to develop certain psychological problems. This is why people participate in several activities which are calming and relaxing for the brain
In most cases today, people especially go for meditation these days to help with their mind-related problems.
It involves several breathing techniques that calm our minds and enhance multiple brain functions.
This includes better concentration, attention, cognition, and memory, all of which get weakened with age.
Brain-related issues like Alzheimer’s disease and Dementia are directly dependent on these brain functions.
In that case, connecting the dots, one may wonder “Does meditation prevent dementia”
Are you on the same track?
Well, good for you that you reached here because, in this blog, we’re actually going to discuss if meditation helps with dementia with studies that prove this claim.
Furthermore, the blog also mentions other brain-related benefits of meditation which will answer questions such as, “Does meditation help memory loss?” and many more. So, first and foremost, let’s answer the main question.
Does Meditation Prevent Dementia?
Meditation has been among us since time immemorial, it’s just that the West has come to know about it recently.
Having its roots in South Asian countries, meditation has been a traditional mind-relaxing technique.
This technique enhances emotional health and reduces stress and anxiety. However, now, several studies and research have found other more potent uses of meditation in theory as well.
One of those includes the effectiveness of meditation in preventing or improving dementia in adults.
Kirtan Kriya meditation is one such meditation technique that is highly beneficial for boosting brain function.
It is a 12-minute technique and requires no extra equipment or effort for execution.
According to a study made by Kim Innes, a professor at West Virginia University School of Public Health, Morgantown, the subjects who practiced kirtan kriya experienced an increase in telomere length and telomerase activity, two enzymes whose depletion causes aging.
Furthermore, Kirtan Kriya has also shown a reduction in stress levels and improvement in memory due to enhanced blood flow to parts of the brain.
Dementia causes an individual to inch towards loss of memory and cognitive abilities.
Challenging that, meditation has prominent effects in increasing attention, awareness, and socio-economical capabilities.
A meditation practice from Yoga, known as Pranayama is beneficial in such cases.
It leads the individual to experience mindfulness meditation that acts as a barrier against causing atrophy in the part of the brain responsible for memory storage, called the hippocampus.
Furthermore, another study claims meditation to be useful for increasing awareness and preventing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
The study observed an increase in the biomarker called “Beta-amyloid 40” which is used to test the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
This guided meditation for dementia in adults works like a charm and does wonders for the body while helping with dementia.
Moreover, we can say that meditation does help in preventing dementia and is beneficial for overall health as well.
Now that we’ve already understood the effectiveness of meditation in increasing brain functions, which helps with Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
We might as well go through the other brain-related benefits of the mind-body breathing practice.
Other Brain-Related Benefits of Meditation
The brain is one of the most important organs in the body which is responsible for executing a number of functions.
Therefore, Meditation, being an exercise that helps in relaxing and calming the brain, ultimately enhances the quality of all these functions as well.
Let’s quickly know its benefits in dot points.
- Reduces stress and anxiety
- Improves breathing
- Enhances emotional stability
- Improves mental health
- Increases the protective issues of the brain
- Prevents feelings of isolation
Furthermore, meditation tends to increase the grey matter and the cortical thickness in the brain which is responsible for processing given information and releasing new ones.
Furthermore, regular meditation also prevents health conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure, and skin conditions like psoriasis and helps people in quitting smoking and cope with cancer.
All of the above-mentioned meditation benefits are beneficial and contribute to overall mental.
However, if one chooses to be consistent in meditation, he can also experience some physical benefits as well.
Meditation Also Has Physical Benefits
Physical health is also extremely important along with mental health, and regular meditation can take care of both of them.
There are numerous studies that show the positive effects of meditation on sleep quality.
For example, a study published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Science suggests that mindfulness meditation can be helpful in improving sleep sleep quality.
Furthermore, regular meditation can aid in balancing testosterone levels, which can be extremely beneficial for building muscle and treating hormonal imbalances in men.
This is why many health experts believe that meditation and testosterone are somehow linked to each other. Apart from these these benefits meditations also:
- Reduce chronic pain
- Help in managing blood pressure
- Reduce the risk of heart attack
- Support better recovery
- Aid asthma patients
So, these were some physical health benefits of meditation. However, one should remember to be consistent if he/she wishes to witness these benefits quickly.
Conclusion
Medication is an exercise that can do wonders for your body. Be it improving cardiovascular health, helping lung health, promoting general well enhancing the functions of the brain, mediation helps every section of the body.
In this blog today, we primarily focused on meditation’s benefits related to the brain and how it helps with memory-related problems like Dementia and Alzheimer’s that are mostly observed in old age.
Through this blog, taking into consideration the scientific studies and benefits of meditation, we can theoretically say that meditation can indeed help with dementia.
However, apart from the above-mentioned studies, there is only little practical research that shows meditation’s direct relation with patients having dementia.
Rather, it has shown an improvement in symptoms and other conditions that increase the risk of dementia.
In both cases though, overall meditation does improve dementia up to whatever level.
Additionally, medication also improves the general well-being of the brain and body, so it is essential nevertheless. Hope this blog helped you in knowing does meditation prevents dementia or not. if you liked it so share it with your loved ones.
