The mindfulness meditation would reduce cognitive decline, according to the results of a study published in the medical journal Psychophysiology. Because breathing, a key part of mindfulness meditation, directly affects levels of a natural chemical messenger in the brain called norepinephrine.
Breath-focused meditation and yogic breathing practices have many known cognitive benefits, including increased ability to focus, decreased mind wandering, improved arousal levels, more positive emotions, responsiveness reduced emotional and many others. To date, however, no direct neurophysiological link between respiration and cognition has been suggested.
Research shows for the first time that breathing, an essential part of mindfulness meditation directly affects the levels of a natural chemical messenger in the brain called norepinephrine. This chemical messenger is released when we are stimulated, curious, exercised, focused, or emotionally awake, and if produced at the right levels, helps the brain develop new connections, like brain fertilizer. The way we breathe, in other words, directly affects our brain chemistry in ways that can improve our attention and boost our brain health.
“Yoga practitioners have claimed for about 2,500 years that the breath influences the mind,” explained Michael Melnychuk. “In our study, we looked for a neurophysiological link that might help explain these claims by measuring breathing, reaction time, and brain activity in a small area of the brainstem called the locus coeruleus, where norepinephrine is made. When we get stressed, we produce too much norepinephrine and we can’t concentrate. When we feel sluggish, we produce too little and the effects are the same.”
The results of this study confirm the conclusions of the study from the University of Miami (in the United States) and published in the Journal of Cognitive Enhancement which revealed that mindfulness meditation could even slow down the cognitive declineamong seniors.
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