The Benefits of Meditation For Your Skin
Have you ever noticed how your skin changes when you are going through a rough patch in your personal life, or an intense and demanding project at work? It’s almost as if your skin turns duller the harder you work and the more stressed you are. Those dreaded fine lines underneath your eyes deepen, your skin appears red and blotchy and worst of all, you get an acne flare-up to rival the worst you’ve had during puberty.
We all know that stress can pretty much wreak havoc on all the bodily systems, and this includes your skin health. When you are stressed your immune system becomes weakened and because there is a cross-talk between the skin cells, immune cells and nerve cells via the brain-skin axis, the stress starts to show on your skin.
If you are already suffering from an underlying skin condition like acne, eczema or psoriasis, stress can trigger flare-ups and precipitate these issues. There’s actually a whole clinical area called psychodermatology that investigates the skin-mind connection and tries to treat the underlining cause of the skin issue, usually psychiatric.
Stress increases inflammation in the body and also releases the hormone cortisol into our systems. Cortisol can cause the dilation of blood vessels and they can become a bit leaky, leading to red blotches on your skin and inflammation.
How meditation can benefit your skin and help to reduce stress levels
Meditation is a mind and body practice that bring calmness and relaxation into your life. It’s part of the practice of mindfulness, a state where you are aware of yourself in the present moment. The effects of meditation on the body have been studied an has shown to improve blood pressure, anxiety, psychological balance, insomnia and sleep problems, irritable bowel syndrome and depression. It has even shown to improve cell longevity and can have antiaging effects on the brain.
A daily meditation session can help to reduce stress and anxiety that will lead to a reduced immune response in your body. This will naturally reduce the effects of stress on your skin and help it to return to its normal glowing state.
Here are 5 benefits meditation can have on your skin health:
1. Reduces feelings of stress
Meditation and mindfulness help us to face negative emotions or events in our lives and teach us to let go of what is harming us. Studies have shown that people who meditate daily can cope better with stressful situations than those who don’t. Less stress = less inflammation = healthier skin.
2. Oxygenates your cells and improves blood circulation
During meditation you focus on breathing deeply, allowing as much oxygen into your lungs as possible. This burst of oxygen revitalizes your cells and improves blood circulation to your organs and skin, removing toxins and bringing nutrients to the skin, giving it a healthy glow.
3. Has antiaging and longevity effects
Studies have now shown that meditation is able to lengthen the protective caps on chromosomes called telomeres, that usually shorten with age and chronic stress. This means it can affect your genes and leave you with fewer wrinkles in the long run.
4. Boost your happy hormones
Meditation boosts endorphins and GABA, an important neurotransmitter. A meditation session can instantly boost your mood, and coupled with higher oxygen levels, leave you with a natural high and a beautiful glowing skin. Meditation also boosts melatonin, the hormone that helps you sleep. Better sleep gives the skin a chance to rejuvenate itself and promotes new skin cell growth.
5. Boosts your self-confidence
Meditation and mindfulness practices aim to make us more self-aware and happier with who we are. As your skin issues start to clear because of the benefits of meditation, it will also boost your self-confidence.
Meditation for skin health is something anyone can try and reap the multiple health benefits. Keeping your mind happy and nourishing your body with nutritious food and proper hydration, will have your skin glowing within days.
References:
1. Jafferany M. (2007). Psychodermatology: a guide to understanding common psychocutaneous disorders. Primary care companion to the Journal of clinical psychiatry,9(3), 203–213. doi:10.4088/pcc.v09n0306. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1911167/
2. Koo, J. and Lebwohl, A. (2001). Psychodermatology: The Mind and Skin Connection. [online] Aafp.org. Available at: https://www.aafp.org/afp/2001/1201/p1873.html[Accessed 16 Dec. 2019].
3. DeWeerdt, S. Psychodermatology: An emotional response. Nature492, S62–S63 (2012) doi:10.1038/492S62a. Available at: https://www.nature.com/articles/492S62a
4. Kurth, F., Cherbuin, N. and Luders, E. (2017). Promising Links between Meditation and Reduced (Brain) Aging: An Attempt to Bridge Some Gaps between the Alleged Fountain of Youth and the Youth of the Field. Frontiers in Psychology, [online] 8. Available at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00860/full[Accessed 16 Dec. 2019].
5. National Center for Complimentary and Integrative Health (2019). Meditation: In Depth. [online] NCCIH. Available at: https://nccih.nih.gov/health/meditation/overview.htm[Accessed 16 Dec. 2019].