Meditation provides a host of physical and mental health benefits:
Researchers from Johns Hopkins University found mindfulness meditation can improve anxiety, depression, and pain, according to a review published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Because meditation often relaxes the mind and body, it may help reduce stress-induced inflammation and bolster the immune system.
Research suggests meditation may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. It can also be a low-cost and low-risk addition to traditional treatment, according to the American Heart Association.
Meditation earned an “A” grade from the Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) for having strong scientific evidence supporting it. The SIO recommends meditation for patients with breast cancer to ease anxiety and depression and improve their quality of life.
Mindfulness meditation also helped people struggling with chronic insomnia, according to a 2018 study published in Mindfulness.