In todays connected world we are all tired, stressed and lacking energy.
Looking after your health is not just about your body but also your mind.
Mindfulness which can start with just 10 min a day, has been shown to have amazing effects, even when your not practicing!
In this Health bite, you fill find:
- Our top 4 reasons to start using mindfulness.
- 3 useful apps.
- A great TED talk on what is mindfulness and how it can help change your life.
Enjoy!
Our top 4 reasons to start using mindfulness.
1. It lowers stress -- literally. Research published just last month in the journal Health Psychology shows that mindfulness is not only associated with feeling less stressed, it's also linked with decreased levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
2. It works as the brain's "volume knob." Ever wondered why mindfulness meditation can make you feel more focused and zen? It's because it helps the brain to have better control over processing pain and emotions, specifically through the control of cortical alpha rhythms (which play a role in what senses our minds are attentive to), according to a study in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.
3. It comes in handy during cold season. Aside from practicing good hygiene, mindfulness meditation and exercise could lessen the nasty effects of colds. Researchers from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Health found that people who engage in the practices miss fewer days of work from acute respiratory infections, and also experience a shortened duration and severity of symptoms.
4. It helps you sleep better. We saved the best for last! A University of Utah study found that mindfulness training can not only help us better control our emotions and moods, but it can also help us sleep better at night. “People who reported higher levels of mindfulness described better control over their emotions and behaviours during the day. In addition, higher mindfulness was associated with lower activation at bedtime, which could have benefits for sleep quality and future ability to manage stress," study researcher Holly Rau said in a statement.
3 useful apps.
