Lto meditation it is considered to be one of the most effective methods of reducing stress and preventing the onset of health damage that stress can cause. But objectively quantifying the effects of meditation practice on psycho-physical well-being is not a simple task. The benefits of meditation are in fact generally assessed through specific questionnaires filled in by those who practice, whose answers are necessarily influenced by the expectation of feeling better. Thanks to the analysis of the hair, the researchers of the Max Planck Institut of Leipzig and Berlin have shown that the meditation is able to reduce cortisol levels, the stress hormone, thus obtaining a objective and concrete proof of the positive effects of the practice.
Meditation and mindfulness
Meditation can be practiced through different techniquesamong which the best known and most widespread in the West is the mindfulness. In mindfulness, the mind is trained to observe our thoughts in a clear and non-judgmental way and what happens in our life and to develop skills such as awareness, the gratitude and compassion.
Stress and cortisol
When we are faced with one situation or during a difficult period, our body releases a hormone, cortisol, which alerts our body and encourages it to mobilize all the energy necessary to overcome the critical moment. The longer the stress lasts, the higher the concentration of cortisol in our body.
I study
It has long been known that meditation can help fight stress, but what happens in our body if we practice consistently? Researchers at the Max Plank Institut tried to answer this question by looking at three groups of 80 people who practiced mindfulness for nine months, 30 minutes a day, six days a week.
As an objective measure of the participants’ stress levels, the researchers used the amount of cortisol present in the first three centimeters of hair, precisely because this hormone is synthesized in conditions of stress and if excess accumulates in the hair.
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Meditation decreases cortisol and stress levels
The results of the study confirmed that constant mindfulness practice can significantly reduce stress levels. By analyzing the hair of the subjects involved every three months, the researchers found one progressive decrease in cortisolthat after six months it was reduced by an average of 25%. This study represents the first objective demonstration that meditating consistently is able to reduce the physiological signals associated with stress, thus suggesting that practicing mindfulness regularly could be a valuable aid not only to improve the management of difficult situations but also to prevent onset of health damage related to chronic stress.
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