Over the past few years, the relentless challenges of modern life have led to an unprecedented rise in interest in finding ways to take stress down a few notches, preferably as quickly as possible. While some may opt for tropical vacations or pharmaceutical work-arounds, neither option is a sustainable long-term strategy. So what’s a totally do-able, practical alternative that also delivers bonus longevity benefits? You guessed it: meditation!

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The idea that meditation, especially mindfulness meditation, is great for you may not be breaking news, but we both know you should be working on developing your stress-relieving meditation practice. Question is, are you actually doing it? If the answer is no, then here’s a bit more motivation: a regular meditation practice can help rescue your brain health and enhance your sense of well-being for years to come. How and why it does so much good for your brain and body? Let us count the ways – and provide you with a few tips to encourage a regular practice:

What is meditation?

Meditation is the practice of quieting and focusing the mind, with the goal of relaxation and even inner peace. For thousands of years, it has provided a simple and cost-free way to reduce anxiety and release stress, requiring no equipment or specialized gear. All you need are a few  simple physical and mental techniques to help focus attention and clear the mind. Meditators may look like they’re doing little more than closing their eyes, breathing deeply and occasionally making repetitive sounds. But, thanks to a number of studies, some of them utilizing brain scanning technology, researchers have found links between meditation and improvements in cognitive and mental health, not to mention immunity and overall well-being. It can only benefit longevity.

How does meditation impact the brain?

That’s a loaded question, with a loaded answer. Beyond stress relief and relaxation, meditation can benefit the structure of your brain and possibly reduce the risk of neurodegenerative diseases. In short, it may be one of the best brain anti-aging tools in our longevity tool box, particularly when it comes to memory, attention, and executive function. Here are just a few ways meditation can help you put the brakes on brain aging now and down the road:  

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1. Improved memory and cognitive performance: Meditation practices and mindfulness-based programs have been associated with significant improvements in memory and cognitive performance in adults with cognitive impairment, improvements that can be maintained and even increased over time with continued practice. Focus also seems to get an assist, according to another study linking a short course of mindfulness meditation training with increased focus and recall, and a reduction in distracted thinking and wandering thoughts.
2. Attention and cognitive flexibility: When you regularly practice meditation, not only can it boost your ability to pay attention,  it can enhance your ability to toggle your attention between different tasks, what’s known as cognitive flexibility. People who have been practicing meditation for a while tend to perform better on demanding mental tasks compared to those who don't. 
3. Executive function and working memory: Meditation programs that focus on mindfulness (intentionally focusing your attention on the present moment) have been proven to enhance working memory and executive function, that is, the ability to solve problems that require step-by-step planning. These improvements are linked to both the classic mindfulness techniques of paying close attention as well as developing non-judgmental awareness of the moment-to-moment experience. 
4. Age-related cognitive decline: Meditation might be able to help counteract the natural decline in cognitive abilities that comes with aging, possibly by pushing back against the age-related deterioration of the blood vessels, which is thought to be a driver of cognitive decline and even dementia. Research indicates that older adults may benefit from improved attention, memory, and executive function through meditation. Additionally, meditation is connected to changes in the structure of the brain that may support maintaining cognitive abilities and brain health.
5. Stress reduction and cognitive enhancement: Engaging in meditation can reduce the negative impact that stress has on your cognitive abilities, and it can enhance emotional regulation, even if you're new to the practice. This reduction in stress is really important for keeping your cognitive health on track, especially as you get older.

Meditation helps preserve the youth – and heft – of your hippocampus.

Studies indicate that engaging in mindfulness meditation may have the ability to actually alter the structures of the brain for the better. For example, a UCLA study found that regular meditators showed less age-related atrophy in both the brain’s grey and white matter, while a Harvard study found that a two-month long mindfulness training program led to an increase in the cortical thickness of the hippocampus, the area of the brain that’s responsible for learning, memory, and emotion regulation. This is an important finding  because the general consensus is that increased volume is linked to improved emotional regulation and feelings of well-being. Correspondingly, a decreased hippocampus volume is associated with negative emotions. As well, decreased volume and density of the hippocampus are linked to various mental health disorders, including major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. 

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Simply put: any practice that supports or helps maintain the volume of your hippocampus is well worth doing more of. So, no more excuses, your brain needs – and will more likely thrive long-term – if you treat it to a major, and regular, meditation boost!

Meditation gives your brain the ‘time out’ in needs.

In addition to its potential to help keep your brain more youthful for as long as possible, meditation’s other benefits are pretty life-enhancing as well. A regular meditation practice helps cultivate adaptability, resilience, and reduces reactivity, while also encouraging feelings of calm, improved mood, reduced anxiety and blunting your fight or flight response. Is like a vacation for your head as well as your adrenals, so why not do more of it? No time to spare? Can’t sit still?  Can’t tune out distractions? 

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My advice: remember that meditation is a practice – you get better the more you do it – so start slow, keep sessions short at first – and keep trying even when you’re not really feeling it, or feel like you’re ‘failing’ at meditation (even though that’s not really a thing). Push through, and let your routine evolve over time. 

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Also start small. Try just sitting quietly for five or 10 minutes first thing in the morning – which will enable you to start the day in a calmer, more relaxed state. For example, get out of bed, before you hit the shower, sit in a comfortable chair on a cushion on the floor, eyes open or closed, and just focus on your breath. As thoughts come up, don’t judge them, just let them go – to help clear your mind. (You may want to set a timer too to make sure you don’t get so relaxed that you fall back to asleep!) More night owl than lark? Then try doing 10 minutes of relaxing restorative yoga poses every night before hitting the hay. 

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Day or night, whatever time of day works best for you is fine, just do it, and work your way up to about 30 minutes at a time. As you become more accustomed to your new healthy brain habit, increase the time you dedicate to the practice – doing so will only improve your health from head to toe, now and down the road. The cool part about a daily practice is that it will in time make you feel less-stressed, less anxious – and that feeling will become your new normal, which will have a ripple effect across all aspects of your physical health, your emotional health and your all-important brain health.