Here is question 16 of 25 from Brain Fitness 101: Answers to Your Top 25 Questions.
Question:
Are yoga and meditation good for my brain?
Key Points:
- Yoga, meditation, and visualization are all excellent ways to learn to manage your stress levels.
- Reducing stress, and the stress hormones, in your system is critical to your brain and overall fitness.
Answer:
Yes. It’s clear that our society has changed faster than our genes. Instead of being faced with physical, immediately life-threatening crises that demand instant action, these days we deal with events and illnesses that gnaw away at us slowly, without any stress release.
Dr. Robert Sapolsky, in an interview about his book Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers, points out that humans uniquely “can get stressed simply with thought, turning on the same stress response as does the zebra.†But, the zebra releases the stress hormones through life-preserving action, while we usually just keep muddling along, getting more anxious by the moment.
Prolonged exposure to the adrenal steroid hormones like cortisol, released during the stress response, can damage the brain and block the formation of new neurons in the hippocampus, which is the key player in encoding new memories in your brain. Recent studies have shown these neurons can be regenerated with learning and environmental stimulation, but while short-term stress may improve attention and memory, chronic stress leads indirectly to cell death and hampers our ability to make changes and be creative enough to even think of possible changes to reduce the stress.
What are the best defenses against chronic stress?
- Exercise strengthens the body and can reduce the experience of stress, depression, and anxiety.
- Relaxation through meditation, tai chi, yoga, or other techniques to lower blood pressure, slow respiration, slow metabolism, and release muscle tension.
- Biofeedback programs that provide real-time information, allowing you to learn effective techniques for reducing stress levels.
- Empowerment, because attitudes of personal confidence and control of your environment resolve the stress response.
- Social network of friends, family, and even pets help foster trust, support, and relaxation.
Further Reading
- Bedard M, Felteau M, Mazmanian D, Fedyk K, Klein R, Richardson J, Parkinson W, Minthorn-Biggs MB. Pilot evaluation of a mindfulness-based intervention to improve quality of life among individuals who sustained traumatic brain injuries. Disabil Rehabil. 2003;25:722–31.
- Bremner JD. Traumatic stress: effects on the brain. Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2006;8:445–61.
- Czeh B, Muller-Keuker JI, Rygula R, Abumaria N, Hiemke C, Domenici E, Fuchs E. Chronic Social Stress Inhibits Cell Proliferation in the Adult Medial Prefrontal Cortex: Hemispheric Asymmetry and Reversal by Fluoxetine Treatment. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2006 Dec 13; [Epub ahead of print].
- Warner-Schmidt JL, Duman RS. Hippocampal neurogenesis: opposing effects of stress and antidepressant treatment. Hippocampus. 2006;16:239–49.
- Sapolsky, RM. Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers (Owl Books; 2004). ISBN: 0805073698
- Publications by Robert Sapolsky
- The American Institute of Stress
- Is there such thing as GOOD stress?
slow down your metabolism?
The effects of stress that are described in the article above- I have seen them myself. It is quite true — and anybody who has gone through prolonged stressful periods can testify to this — that it slows down the general working of the mind, it effects our memory, and impairs our decision making capability in our day to day lives.
I am going to recommend the book ‘Why Zebras…’ to my friends!
All the thoughts are placed in my mind during the meditation and that do that we can separate them of the negative thoughts and give them the just value and influence in our life. So I think that the yoga and other tecnics of relaxation help a lot for the health brain.
Would love to see information about Brain State Tech, based in Scottsdale, AZ mentioned here. Their Warrior Project has helped thousands of vets recover from PTSD.