Stress is damaging to the human mind and body. Stress releases hormones such as adrenaline to protect your body. These hormones allow your body to react quickly in the event of danger, but too much can cause chronic stress and can put your health at risk. Chronic stress can have physical effects such as chronic headaches, high blood pressure, and upset stomach. It can also lead to emotional issues such as depression, insomnia, anxiety, and panic attacks. Because of these issues finding ways to reduce stress is vital to one’s happiness and productivity. However, meditation can combat stress and its ill effects.
Stress can have detrimental effects on the elderly who are already battling age-related issues such as poor eyesight, hearing loss, and dementia. Additional stress can lower the immune system, making it harder for seniors to recover from illnesses and worsen their vision and hearing loss.
Regular meditations promote healthy living as it allows the mind to become focused and the body to become calm, it can definitely help one reduce stress and its harmful effects. The body goes through many changes during different meditations; your heart rate and breathing slow, and release tension. Meditating with a caregiver will encourage seniors to incorporate it into their daily routines. BlueDot Cares offers senior companion care to help with various household chores and support during meditation by providing feedback and motivation.
Here are three benefits of regular meditations for caregivers and seniors:
Meditation Improves Memory
Meditations have proven to delay the effects of brain diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer’s. Training the mind by way of meditations can enhance the cognitive function of older adults. All caregivers for BlueDot Cares are trained to identify changes in the memory of their clients.
It Improves Digestive Health
Stress can severely affect the digestive system by making you feel nauseous and increase gastric juices in your digestive system, causing indigestion. Chronic stress can also result in Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and weight gain/loss. Meditation increases the body’s oxygen levels, which is vital to the digestive system allowing it to absorb the required nutrients from the foods we eat. Meditations can also get rid of anxiety which may cause you to overeat.
It makes you a Better Person
Meditations involve actively training the mind to develop a greater understanding of yourself and improve your mood. Many seniors become depressed because they have experienced significant loss in their life or believe they have become a burden. Meditations not only allows them to become a better version of themselves, but it also encourages positive actions towards others.
Anyone can meditate and does not require additional equipment. Just a few minutes daily, and its effects can be felt in a short amount of time and are long-term.
