Cosmetic creams, Botox injections, and plastic surgery. Today everyone is trying these different methods in an attempt to beat father time, and prevent the aging processes. What if there was a more simple way? Something healthier, that actually slows down father time. There is a way, and this process is inexpensive, calming and non invasive. Meditation is a simple approach to improving one’s mental health and a proven way to slow down the neurological aging process. There are many different forms of meditation such as mindfulness, zazen, Qi gong and transcendental. All of these versions however strive for the same goal: to stop the endless activity of our minds and achieve a state of thoughtless awareness. This is a difficult goal to achieve; gaining the ability to control our minds takes practice. There are many health benefits to practicing meditation such as lower stress levels, improved mental health, deeper sleep, lower blood pressure and heart rate. Meditation can actually function to slow the aging process of the brain as well.
A study performed by Eileen Luders, Nicolas Cherbuin and Florian Kurth examined the link between a person’s age and the amount of grey matter present in their brain. Grey matter is one of the major components of the central nervous system. It is primarily made up of neurons, specialized cells that use chemical messengers called neurotransmitters to communicate information to other cells of the body. Grey matter is found in different areas of the brain such as the surface of the cerebral cortex, the cerebellum and in the depths of the cerebrum. It also extends down into the spinal cord. It functions in a number of cognitive domains such as memory, attention, verbal fluency, processing speed and overall cognitive flexibility. Therefore, it is obviously a very important part of our body.
It is said that our brain begins to deteriorate after the first two decades of life, and continues to do so with increasing age. Finding ways to help us feel and look younger are desirable in today’s society, but especially those techniques that can biologically slow down the process of aging. Meditation appears to be one of these techniques. Luders et. al. performed a study on 100 individuals, 50 of whom were long time practitioners of meditation and 50 who were not. They examined two particular areas of grey matter, whole-brain grey matter (referred to as global grey matter) and voxel-wise grey matter (referred to as local grey matter). In order for Luders et. al. to perform calculations on the different brains, subjects underwent Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). MRI is a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio wave energy to produce three-dimensional pictures of organs and structures in the body.
After many calculations and image investigations Luders et. al. had determined that areas of the brain, grey matter in particular, do deteriorate over time in both meditators and non-meditators. However, the rate at which these areas deteriorate differs between the two. The brain images of those who meditate showed a slower rate of age related decline than in those who do not meditate. They also found that regions of the brain affected by age-related decline were greater in those who did not practice mediation. So by practicing meditation it is possible to actually slow down the rate at which your brain deteriorates with age. It is said that meditation is the training for the mind, similar to the way fitness is the training for the body. In order to maintain an overall well being, it is important to focus on your physical health as well as mental heath. Meditation is a great way to relieve every day stress and slow down the brain’s process of aging.
Source: Eileen Luders, Nicolas Cherbuin, Florian Kurth. Forever Young(er): potential age-defying effects of long-term meditation on gray matter atrophy. Frontiers in Psychology, 2015; 5 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01551
