Meditation does not only benefit mental health, but it can also have positive effects on the body.

Evidence suggests that meditation can help manage pain by altering pain perception in the brain. A 2018 study of meditation, mindfulness, and chronic pain noted that meditation changes the brain over time. These changes can make a person less sensitive to pain.

Besides easing pain, meditation may also improve sleepTrusted Source.

Evidence suggests that mindfulness meditation interventions can significantly improve sleep quality and may effectively treat some types of sleep disturbance. As a person becomes more experienced in meditation, they learn to control or redirect a racing mind that can cause insomnia.

The practice also relaxes the body and places them in a peaceful state that is conducive to sleep.

While meditation is not a cure-all solution, it allows a person mental space that can have a wide range of benefits.

Meditation can calm the mindTrusted Source and helps people connect to their thoughts, feelings, and reactions. This can lead to a greater sense of control over emotions and improved decision-making skills.

Additionally, it may help people manage feelings of stress and anxiety. It does this by teaching the mind how to focus better on the present moment, allowing a person to release racing thoughts about the past or spiraling thoughts about the future.

While long-term meditation is valuable, it can also benefit people new to the practice.

A 2019 study of non-experienced meditators found that 8 weeks of brief, 13-minute-long daily meditation sessions helped ease negative mood state. It also boosted attention and memory. These results suggest that meditation can be beneficial even when it is of short duration.

Additionally, experts have found that mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) can benefitTrusted Source mental health. These meditation-based tools can reduce anxiety, depression, stress, and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms.