One Thousand Days of Meditation

Meditation was a necessary addition to my lifestyle following my severe TBI.  I started down this path after reading several studies that show a consistent meditation practice measurably increases neuroplasticity in our brains ⁽¹⁾.  At the time, I didn’t understand why or how it worked, I just knew that neuroplasticity referred to the ability of the brain to heal broken neural pathways and to create new pathways ⁽²⁾, and I knew that increasing my neuroplasticity needed to be one of my priorities.

And here I find myself at a rather significant milestone, one thousand consecutive days of meditation – and that’s just since I started tracking my meditations with the Insight Timer app on my phone.  But yes, I’ve reached a point where I’ve meditated every single day for nearly three years – sometimes just once in a day, but more often twice or even three times.  And both from my perspective and that of those who know me best, I’ve changed in so many ways.

What’s Different?

I sleep so much better.  It used to take an hour or two to fall asleep and my sleep cycle was erratic.  When I woke in the night, getting back to sleep was nearly impossible – and getting less than nine hours sleep would leave me feeling drained and depleted.  Now, I fall asleep in a matter of minutes most nights. Being a man over 50 years of age, I tend to wake in the night, but these days I’m asleep again almost immediately.  Another big change is how much sleep I need now.  While I like to get 8 hours, I find that I can still be highly functional even on 7 hours.

I manage stress much better.  For quite some time after my brain injury, I’d frequently feel overwhelmed by situations.  The result would typically be stress and agitation that would leave me debilitated and needing to find time alone to recover my composure.  My wife would tell you that I am so much less stressed now.  It’s not that I’m never stressed, after all, I am human – it’s that stress impacts me less often and less severely now.  It has improved both my personal life and my work life. 

I can focus and concentrate more effectively.  Not so long ago, I wasn’t able to concentrate more than a few seconds without my brain losing focus and following unexpected threads in random directions.  This had a significant impact on my productivity both at work and in my personal life.  The change in this area has been underscored this week as I learned to use Microsoft Project with the help of a few internet articles and a couple of YouTube videos.  I’m actually getting pretty good with this software, and it’s because I’m able to read and retain, I’m able to focus and concentrate, and this definitely feels good.

My memory is improving, and my general outlook on life is even better than it was before my injury, just to name some of the most obvious changes.    

How Does Meditation Help?

I recognize the fact that I pursue multiple practices designed to keep my brain on the improvement track, so all the benefits I’m seeing aren’t solely because I meditate.  Yet scientific studies show that meditation does help with sleep ⁽³⁾, with anxiety and stress regulation ⁽⁴⁾, it improves working memory and cognitive abilities ⁽⁵⁾ and it improves attention span and overall sense of well-being ⁽⁶⁾.  I can attest that I’ve observed all these improvements in my own daily life.

But How does it Work?

Exactly how meditation works to help in all the ways it does is a complex topic.  Meditation is closely connected to neuroplasticity; in fact, neuroimaging has clearly shown brain connectivity changes in meditators, and even to increase volume and grey matter concentrations in the hippocampus as compared to non-meditators ⁽⁷⁾.  Studies show increased theta band activity in the brains of meditators ⁽⁸⁾, which are linked to improved cognitive and memory performance levels ⁽⁹⁾. 

In addition to changing the physical structure and frequency oscillations in our brain, meditation can change how our brain works when we’re not intentionally thinking about anything.  When we’re not actively thinking about anything specific, our brains typically slip into a mode of self-related thinking and mind wandering referred to as default mode network activity.  Effectively, these are the thoughts that occur between other thoughts when we’re not engaged in an active mental task. 

Meditation has been linked to reduced activity in the default mode network ⁽¹⁰⁾, so our minds become quieter.  When we can silence that inside voice and take a break from our inner dialog, we can be feel much more connected to the present moment and tap into what is called “flow.”  Flow is a well-known term in the fields of positive and applied psychology referring to a state of hypofrontality – a state where the focused part of the brain gets a rest while other parts and functions become more predominant ⁽¹¹⁾.  Essentially, it’s when our pre-frontal lobe takes a back seat for a bit and the self becomes absent from the conscious, allowing us to just be present in the current moment.

Where to Start?

It’s important to note that all the studies cited that included a long-term study component showed greater impact on longer-term meditators in all areas.  I’m approaching three years of practicing meditation every single day, and I can’t imagine where I’d be without this addition to my life.  My wife is also a regular meditator, and when our schedules allow, we meditate together.  My meditation practice is something I plan to continue to keep as part of my daily routine for as long as I live.

There are many ways to meditate, and different methods are shown to have slightly different benefits.  It’s my recommendation to everyone, whether you’re recovering from a brain injury or not, that you give meditation a chance in your life.  It has so much to offer, and the benefits extend far beyond just your time in meditation.  If you’re curious about meditation, do a bit of research to discover what benefits it may hold for you.  There are many meditation apps out there that offer a framework that can help you build your practice.

My wife and I started by taking a class, and the class helped us build a foundation of knowledge and let us practice in group meditation sessions.  Group meditation is a great experience, there’s a certain level of peace that seems to envelope us and help to quiet our minds even better.  Take a class, try an app, read a book… whatever you do, consider trying meditation.  The first few sessions can be the most challenging as we close our eyes and begin listening to our inner dialog, but take my word, it does get quieter as you go.  Be patient, remember that the changes in our brains from meditation are gradual.  And most of all, be confident in the knowledge that spending even 10 to 20 minutes each day in meditation can positively impact almost every area of your life.

References

1. Richard J. Davidson, Director and Antoine Lutz, Associate Scientist, (2008), Buddha’s Brain: Neuroplasticity and Meditation
2. YouRong Sophie Su, Anand Veeravagu, and Gerald Grant, (2016), Translational Research in Traumatic Brain Injury – Chapter 8, Neuroplasticity after Traumatic Brain Injury
3. David S. Black, PhD, MPH, Gillian A. O’Reilly, BS, Richard Olmstead, PhD, Elizabeth C. Breen, PhD, and Michael R. Irwin, MD, (2015), Mindfulness Meditation and Improvement in Sleep Quality and Daytime Impairment Among Older Adults with Sleep Disturbances
4. Math Janssen, Yvonne Heerkens, Wietske Kuijer, Beatrice van der Heijden, and Josephine Engels, (2018), Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on Employees’ Mental Health: A Systematic Review
5. Joseph Wielgosz, Simon B. Goldberg, Tammi R. A. Kral, John D. Dunne, and Richard J. Davidson, (2019), Mindfulness Meditation and Psychopathology
6. Jennifer R Wolkin, (2015), Cultivating Multiple Aspects of Attention through Mindfulness Meditation Accounts for Psychological Well-Being through Decreased Rumination
7. Anna Lardone, Marianna Liparoti, Pierpaolo Sorrentino, Rosaria Rucco, Francesca Jacini, Arianna Polverino, Roberta Minino, Matteo Pesoli, Fabio Baselice, Antonietta Sorriso, Giampaolo Ferraioli, Giuseppe Sorrentino and Laura Mandolesi, (2018), Mindfulness Meditation Is Related to Long-Lasting Changes in Hippocampal Functional Topology during Resting State: A Magnetoencephalography Study
8. Darrin J. Lee, Edwin Kulubya, Philippe Goldin, Amir Goodarzi, and Fady Girgis, (2018), Review of the Neural Oscillations Underlying Meditation
9. W Klimesch, (1999), EEG Alpha and Theta Oscillations Reflect Cognitive and Memory Performance: A Review and Analysis
10. David R. Vago and Fadel Zeidan, (2018), The Brain on Silent: Mind Wandering, Mindful Awareness, and States of Mental Tranquility
11. Milija Šimleša, Jérôme Guegan, Edouard Blanchard, Franck Tarpin-Bernard, and Stéphanie Buisine, (2018), The Flow Engine Framework: A Cognitive Model of Optimal Human Experience