Metabolic and Mental Health

Here’s Why and How I Meditate Every Eight Hours for Decades.

I eat once but meditate three times to reap seven health and well-being benefits of meditation which is now mainstream.

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Why Western World Finally Embraced Meditation

Some people eat six times a day and meditate once or none.

I am just the opposite. I eat only once with no snacks to improve my health. However, I meditate three times a day and supplement with short sessions similar to snacking. Like eating, meditation also comes with side effects, especially for beginners, as it challenges the brain and the mind rigorously.

It might sound unusual to my new readers when I point out that I don’t believe in frequent eating, but I do believe in frequent meditation daily for my preference, even though it still challenges my brain for growth (BDNF). I explain the reasons in this article. This might not apply to everyone.

Meditation is not a new-age idea or practice anymore. Yet, while the eastern world reaped the benefits of mindfulness practices such as meditation for centuries, the western world resisted not using these valuable tools.

However, in the end, a remarkable shift happened in the last few decades. Finally, meditation entered the mainstream after the thought leaders saw the benefits and articulated it to the public.

As a result, the resistance against meditative practices significantly dropped, and many people embraced it despite its challenges and side effects.

Understanding the nature of meditative practices became the major contributor to this shift.

People understood that meditation was not exclusive to spiritual or religious people anymore. Secular people could also practice, enjoy, and reap benefits from meditating regularly.

Of course, some people still see no value in meditation, see it as abnormal, and even condemn it. It is natural. Meditation might not suit everyone, especially those who are impatient and what to gain material benefits immediately.

Throughout history, humans even denied the most fundamental facts of life. Still, some people see the earth as flat.

Even though some perceive meditation as a psychological construct, it has a noticeable physiological aspect. Thus, meditation is a psychosomatic process covering the body and mind; therefore, it is so challenging for beginners.

I experienced numerous benefits of meditative practices in my life. Therefore, I desire to pass along my tacit knowledge.

The brain as a Special Organ

The brain is a very active organ. It never stops working. Even during sleep, it works. For example, dreaming is a type of work for the body.

During sleep brain process sensory information and sends many signals using hormones and neurotransmitters.

The brain affects every organ in some way. It serves as a control center. Even though the brain looks like a single organ, it has multiple parts performing different activities.

However, all brain parts are connected in intricate ways and constantly communicate. I see the brain as a large orchestra.

Some scientists think the neocortex is the orchestra’s leader, and some think the old brain. They all have valid reasons.

However, I believe our consciousness is the leader of the orchestra. This perspective is only a hypothesis, as the scientific method cannot study consciousness empirically yet.

My Inspiration to Start Meditation

In my younger years, one of my hobbies was reading historical, anthropological, and classical literature to learn from the previous generations.

When I analyzed the lives of successful people from all walks of life in history, the typical success pattern was using meditative practices.

They all used different methods, but the primary purpose was to silence the mind by observing thoughts methodically.

Unlike perceptions of associating meditation with religions and spiritual practices, my findings depicted that scientists, inventors, artists, and philosophers leveraged the power of meditation.

With this inspiration, I explored many meditative practices. The most interesting one, in the beginning, was Sufism which gave me a unique perspective on the spiritual domain.

Then I discovered transcendental meditation, which created a bridge between the eastern and western worlds.

By reviewing various meditation methods, I customized them to suit my needs. Different methods might work for different people. Even though approaches might vary, every healthy person can meditate if they learn the principles, in my opinion.

Here are my seven reasons to meditate three times a day.

1 — Reset the neocortex.

I see meditation as a reset button for the brain. It is like the metaphor of turning off lights when we want to save energy.

The neocortex is a highly busy part of the brain, with billions of neurons firing every second. It receives and sends signals non-stop to control bodily and mental functions.

The neocortex is a biological, chemical, and electrical machine. Thus it requires rest and digestion like other organs. If left unchecked, for the sake of survival by design, the old brain never stops worrying and keeping the neocortex busy.

Unless we reset the neocortex with deliberate intervention like meditation, it will continue running at a massive speed frenetically, causing stress and anxiety to the body.

Meditation is an intervention to reset activities by slowing the speed of thoughts. During meditative practice, the input to the neocortex diminishes; hence the process slows down.

Meditative practices give a chance to the cognitive brain a rest. However, paradoxically the reflective process also serves as a workout for the neocortex strengthening the focus and attention muscles.

In my perspective, this metaphorical workout is the biggest benefit of meditation. However, this process also causes a problem for beginners. For example, some people feel more stressed when meditating, so they give up, seeing it as useless.

Unfortunately, some meditation teachers sell it only as a relaxation method. It is partially correct, in my opinion. Yes, it relaxes the brain to some extent, but it also puts significant pressure on the brain.

The pressure from meditative practices is good stress for the brain for this growth. We only get the benefits after a while, which I discuss in the next sections.

Using the power of the neocortex, I managed to tame my amygdala and reduce the effects of its sneaky hijacks. I documented my experience in this article titled How To Deal With Amygdala Hijacks.

2 — Manage stress.

The immediate benefit of meditation is managing stress.

First of all, meditative practices create stress awareness. The intention to meditate creates a purpose to observe the stress in the body. This approach is an excellent start for beginners.

Then during the meditation, the body gets a chance to relax. Our thoughts never stop. They keep coming from our consciousness. However, when unchecked, these thoughts can affect bodily functions.

One of my reason for meditating three times, approximately every eight hours, is to observe my stress, process it, and reduce its pressure and effects on the body and mind.

Stress affects our sleep as I struggled with sleep problems when experiencing chronic stress and brain fog in my younger years. However, after starting meditative practices, my sleep quality significantly improved, enhancing my mental clarity.

I also shared a friend's storywho fixed her insomnia via meditation. How a 37 Years Old Female Body Builder Cured Insomnia: “Why Can’t Doctors Prescribe Meditation for Insomnia?” asked Heather, a female bodybuilder and a genetic engineer.

Fat loss and healthy weight management are fewer known benefits of meditation. I learned that the stress hormone cortisol has a significant role in our metabolism and that meditation can contribute to fat loss.

I documented a case study reflecting the effects of sleep on fat loss in an article titled Fred Slept Better and Lost 44 Pounds.

I also mentioned the situation in another story highlighting how meditation contributed to sustainable weight management Eliza Shed 30 Pounds In Six Months With Two Tips.

3 — Reduce anxiety.

Anxiety is related to stress and causes damage to our physical and mental health. As we get older, anxiety can increase.

The old brain generates fear and anxiety to survive. Even though there is no real threat to survival, it fabricates to prepare for future events. The old brain cares about our survival, but it adversely affects our prosperity.

Anxiety is a feeling created by thoughts of the neocortex and sensations fabricated by the amygdala. Negative and pessimistic thoughts might turn into concerns and create anxious feelings amplifying the fabrication of the amygdala.

I documented my experience with anxiety in an article titled Dealing With Anxiety in Difficult Times.

The body feels under threat even though there is no threat. This is natural and can happen to anyone. Before meditating, my anxiety was high. I used to worry about my future a lot.

Since we reduce thoughts and change their meaning neutrally during meditation, we face less anxiety.

It is not possible to stop thoughts, but it is possible to reduce their effects through meditative practices.

To reduce anxiety, we need to address three universal threats that I documented in an article. Meditation can be used as a tool to deal with these threats effectively.

4 — Increase cognitive flexibility.

Meditation gives me mental clarity.

Cognitive flexibility is a less spoken aspect of meditation, from my observations. However, it is as important as other factors and benefits.

As mentioned before, meditation creates a paradoxical situation. Those who don’t understand this paradox give up meditation. They assume it is useless and even harmful to them.

I have empathy and compassion for those people, as I initially found meditation difficult. Like many beginners, I experienced side effects like boredom and agitation.

However, despite the initial challenges, I did not give up because I firmly believed in its benefits. Thus, I managed to reduce the side effects with commitment and persistence.

By leveraging the knowledge of people who successfully used it in the past, I convinced myself the painful side effects are temporary and symptoms of biological, chemical, and electrical shifts.

As a principle, biological entities need to adapt. For example, our muscles do not grow unless we stress them with exercise. The cognitive brain is also a biological and physical entity.

Inspiringly scientific studies proved that the cognitive brain gets stronger with meditations by enhancing focus, attention, working memory, task switching, and problem-solving using MRI scans.

I wrote several articles about cognitive flexibility. Here is the link to one of them covering it at a basic level: Increase Cognitive Flexibility and Emotional Maturity with Five Habits.

5 — Regulate emotions.

Like cognitive flexibility, emotional regulation is another benefit of meditative practices.

Meditation can increase emotional intelligence by creating cognitive flexibility. Our thoughts significantly impact emotions and feelings.

While the central premise of meditation is to observe thoughts which can reduce emotional fluctuations, we can also watch emotions and feelings similar to thoughts.

Initially, I only focussed on thoughts which helped me regulate emotions. However, when I learned to observe my emotions and feelings, I gained better control to regulate my emotions.

I also wrote several articles about emotional regulations. Here is a link to an article providing practical tips to regulate emotions: Regulate Emotions to Knock Chronic Stress with Five Powerful Tools.

6 — Balance hormones and neurotransmitters.

One of the most significant benefits of meditative practices is balancing hormones and neurotransmitters. This point proves that meditation is a psychosomatic process.

Emotions play a significant role in our hormonal profile. Our thoughts also affect neurotransmitters. For example, our thoughts can change the amount of dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin.

We can impact our hormones and neurotransmitters when we observe our thoughts and reduce their emotional impacts, such as anxiety, excitement, anger, or grief.

For example, scientific studies observed that meditation significantly reduced cortisol (stress hormone) in stressed individuals. The less stress the body perceives, the less cortisol it releases.

7 — Create cognitive reserves.

I leave this to the end because this is a long-term benefit of meditative practices from my experience. Previous points cover the benefits of meditation in cognitive reserves.

My reason for paying attention to cognitive reserves is to function when I face neurodegenerative diseases (dementia like Alzheimer’s) as I get older.

But unfortunately, as the brain is a biological machine controlled by genes, we cannot prevent aging and degeneration as we age chronically.

However, by creating cognitive reserves, we can reduce the effects of neurodegenerative diseases and still perform in old age using the functions of our cognitive brain, such as focus, attention, memory, task switching, and problem-solving.

Meditation can increase BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor), as explained in this story titled Increase BDNF with Five Lifestyle Habits.

As meditation can strengthen cognitive functions, it is an excellent tool to enhance cognitive reserves. The earlier we start, the better it gets.

Final Words

Meditation and mindfulness practices are excellent tools in my mental health kit. I used them for short-term and long-term health and well-being benefits. I made meditation a hobby.

Eating and snacking thrice gave me many health problems, but meditating three times and supplementing with short sessions, like five to ten minutes in between, gave me many benefits.

Therefore, I see meditation as important as food in my life. After practicing meditation for decades, I haven’t seen any side effects except, in the beginning, some boredom and agitation, which disappeared after years.

Still, meditation puts pressure on my brain, but it is good for stress-strengthening neurocircuits, enhancing my focus, attention, memory, task switching, problem-solving, and enhancing cognitive reserves.

Meditation helped me gain desired hormonal and neurotransmitter balance, improving my physical health. In addition, regulating my emotions increased my creativity and productivity and improved my relationships.

I use meditation in my work for innovative and inventive pursuits. It helps me enter the flow state easily and remain as long as I want.

I also use it as a creative endeavor, as reflected in this story titled How I Perceive the 50th Century.

There are many meditative practicing that might appeal to different people. Moreover, some methods might work better for some people and might not work for others. Therefore, it is wise to try different approaches until finding the right one for yourself.

However, like any good thing in life, meditation might not suit everyone, especially those who experience mental health conditions.

Therefore, those people must discuss with their qualified healthcare professionals and gain support before starting meditation.

Here’s How Meditation Can Impact Our Genes and Neurotransmitters.

I also documented my years of research on meditation’s effects on the brain.

Meditation Can Boost the Cortical Thickness in the Brain and Prevent the Thinning of It

Takeaways

Based on my experience and observations, I offer seven simple takeaway points that you might consider, including meditation in your daily activities.

1 — Start small, like five to ten minutes sessions.

2 — Gradually increase as you tolerate but consistently and regularly do it.

3 — Focus on the breath to observe thoughts and let them go as they arrive at your consciousness.

4 — Start observing emotions and feelings by labeling them but not judging.

5 — Consider various meditation types such as including compassion meditation.

6 — Remain optimistic by believing in the benefits.

7 — Show gratitude to your body and mind for allowing you this opportunity.

Meditation is a disciplined process that requires specific protocols. However, we can always use mindfulness in all walks of life, including amid chaos.

A mindful approach to life can bring significant health and well-being benefits from my experience.

I hope you enjoy the wonderful transformation of a friend using meditation to create a joyful life for himself and inspiring others to find their better versions.

The Simplicity and Power of a Mantra Made an Uptight Exec a Zen Master in 10 Years.

If you find this article valuable, you might check my holistic health and well-being stories reflecting on my reviews, observations, and decades of sensible experiments.

Besides aiming to increase the hormonal intelligence of my readers and writing about neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, GABA, acetylcholine, and norepinephrine, one of my goals as a writer is to raise awareness about the causes and risk factors of prevalent diseases that can lead to suffering and death for a large portion of the population.

Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.

As a new reader, please check my holistic health and well-being stories reflecting my reviews, observations, and decades of experiments optimizing my hormones and neurotransmitters. I write about health as it matters. I believe health is all about homeostasis.

Petechiae, ALS, Metabolic Syndrome, Type II Diabetes, Fatty Liver Disease, Heart Disease, Strokes, Obesity, Liver Cancer, Autoimmune Disorders, Homocysteine, Lungs Health, Pancreas Health, Kidneys Health, NCDs, Infectious Diseases, Brain Health, Dementia, Depression, Brain Atrophy, Neonatal Disorders, Skin Health, Dental Health, Bone Health, Leaky Gut, Leaky Brain, Brain Fog, Chronic Inflammation, Insulin Resistance, Elevated Cortisol, Leptin Resistance, Anabolic Resistance, Cholesterol, High Triglycerides, Metabolic Disorders, Gastrointestinal Disorders, Thyroid Disorders, Anemia, Dysautonomia, cardiac output, and urinary track disorders.

I also wrote about valuable nutrients. Here are the links for easy access:

Lutein/Zeaxanthin, Phosphatidylserine, Boron, Urolithin, taurine, citrulline malate, biotin, lithium orotate, alpha-lipoic acid, n-acetyl-cysteine, acetyl-l-carnitine, CoQ10, PQQ, NADH, TMG, creatine, choline, digestive enzymes, magnesium, zinc, hydrolyzed collagen, nootropics, pure nicotine, activated charcoal, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B1, Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine, and other nutrients.

Disclaimer: My posts do not include professional or health advice. I only document my reviews, observations, experiences, and perspectives to provide information and create awareness.

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Sample Humorous Stories

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