Thursday, December 26, 2013

The Neurobiology of Mindfulness

Mindfulness and meditation are the practices of putting our attention where we want it, and of cultivating greater awareness of our physical body sensations, and of the nature of our thoughts and emotions. A recent review article on the neurobiology of meditation discusses how meditation causes changes in the brain both in the moment a person is meditating, as well as long-lasting changes in the physical structure of the brain as a result of the strengthening of neural connections in specific areas. Unsurprisingly, these changes occur in the areas of the brain that relate to attention and memory, interoception (the process of looking inwards at our internal states and understanding them), sensory processing, and self-regulation (exerting control over our emotions and behaviors).

The review article further explains that practices of mindfulness and meditation have molecular effects on the body. These practices lead to increases in dopamine, a neurotransmitter that triggers motivation and feelings of pleasure, and melatonin, which plays an important role in regulating sleep. Mindfulness meditation is also associated with modulated levels of seratonin, a neurotransmitter that, among a number of things, helps to regulate mood and emotion. The practices are also associated with decreased levels of the stress hormones cortisol and norepinephrine. Together, these molecular changes can have a big impact on helping us feel calmer and less stressed, sleep better, and have improved physical health.

Keryn Breiterman-Loader

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Mindfulness: Feel Good about Eating

Though most of us don't have a clinical eating disorder, we may experience a kind of disordered eating. We may not binge to extreme levels, but we might eat in response to feeling stressed, rather than just in response to hunger. We may not be anorexic, but sometimes we might get obsessive over calories, fat, or carbs. Especially as the holiday season is upon us, maintaining a healthy relationship with our food can keep us feeling happy and healthy.

A new study out of Australia investigated the relationship between mindfulness and symptoms of disordered eating. The study asked 159 exercisers about both their exercising and eating behavior. Results indicate that yoga practice was associated with significantly fewer symptoms of disordered eating, while cardiovascular exercise was associated with greater eating disturbance. Upon further investigation, researchers discovered that the relationship between yoga and healthy eating was actually explained by differences in participants’ levels of trait mindfulness and body awareness.Thus, it is mindfulness that contributes to a more healthy relationship with food and eating.

Keryn Breiterman-Loader

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Mindfulness Training Decreases Mind Wandering

It is the nature of the mind to think, to make associations, and to wander. Though mind wandering is natural, and may have some benefits, it can also act as a hurdle to our focus and attention. Being able to focus and sustain our attention is important for allowing us to accomplish our important goals, to really listen to others, or to simply be present with ourselves and our surroundings and spend less time in our heads. Is it possible for us to train our minds to be more focused and less distractible? Recent research suggests the answer may be yes.

A couple studies at our very own University of Miami indicate that mindfulness training can help us reduce our mind wandering. In the first study, a group of participants were tested on their level of mind wandering and ability to focus before and after a one month mindfulness training retreat. Their scores were then compared to a control group, who was also tested twice, one month apart with no training. Results indicated that at baseline, the two groups didn’t differ in their levels of mind wandering, however the group who went on the retreat scored significantly better than the control group at the end of the month. In a second study, participants were randomly assigned to either an 8-week mindfulness training course, or an 8-week nutrition and health course and were tested on mind wandering both before and after the trainings. Similar to the first study, there was no difference in the groups’ baseline scores, but those who completed the mindfulness course scored significantly better than those in the nutrition and health class. Taken together, these two studies suggest that mindfulness training can actually improve our sustained attention and decrease our distractibility.

Keryn Breiterman-Loader