Meditation

•Meta-analysis— Moderate effect on anxiety, depression, pain; smaller on stress

What the evidence supports

• Anxiety, depression, chronic pain: moderate effect sizes in Goyal 2014 meta-analysis — comparable to first-line drug treatments in mild-moderate disease.
• Blood pressure: ~3–5 mmHg reduction with regular practice.
• Sleep onset: improved in insomnia trials.
• Inflammatory markers: small reductions in some studies.

What evidence does NOT support

• Reversal of established disease beyond psychological mediators.
• Specific brain-aging or longevity claims directly attributable to meditation beyond cardiovascular/stress benefits.
• Superiority of one tradition over another for general health.

How to start

• Apps: Headspace, Calm, Insight Timer have structured beginner programmes.
• MBSR: in-person or online 8-week programmes; the most-evidence-based format.
• Body-scan, breath-focus, loving-kindness are common entry techniques.
• Consistency > duration: daily 10 minutes beats weekly 60.

What to expect

• Concentration improves over weeks; sustained changes take months.
• Some practitioners experience challenging psychological responses; intensive retreats are not appropriate for everyone, especially with mental health history.
• The goal is regular practice, not stillness perfection.

More on this topic

• Breathwork — Lifestyle entry.
• The Telomere Effect — Elizabeth Blackburn & Elissa Epel (2017) — Book.
• Allostatic Load — Concept.
• p38 MAPK Stress Pathway — Pathway.
• Hormesis — Theory.

Related entries

Stress management, Sleep optimization, HRV.