Meditation has been used for thousands of years for spiritual and emotional benefits. In recent years, modern medicine has come to understand that meditation offers a variety of physical and mental benefits. These health benefits include strengthening the immune system, stress reduction, lowering blood pressure, pain relief and improved brain function.
Many people who practice meditation have long believed the practice offers specific benefits for the brain. Memory, focus and concentration are all improved with the practice of meditation. Now, there is research to support these beliefs.
Several studies have been conducted on the various physical and health benefits of meditation. There have been a few studies that have focused specifically on the effect of meditation on brain function
A study conducted at the University of Wisconsin compared the brain wave patterns of Tibetan monks who are trained in meditation with novices, without the training in the practice of meditation. The study found that the gamma waves of the experienced monks were much higher than the other group, showing dramatically increased brain activity.
A University of Toronto study found that meditation training can produce changes in brain function. The study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to scan the brains of the study participants when given two tasks, one to trigger narrative thought patterns and the other an experiential focus.
The participants with no training in meditation had little change in brain activity. The people who practiced meditation for eight weeks showed a change in brain activity with the experiential task. These participants showed an increase in activity in other areas of the brain.
A University of Kentucky study tested participants for the effects of sleepiness on mental acuity by having the participants press a button when an image pops up on the screen. Sleep deprived people generally react slower than rested people. For the study, participants were tested before and after sleeping, meditating, reading or talking for 40 minutes.
The researchers found that a 40 minute nap improved performance, but meditation was the only activity that led to an immediate and superior improvement in performance. This was true, even though the participants had never meditated before, showing that within a short amount of time, the mental acuity benefits of meditation can be seen.