Nobody likes getting older, once we enter into our twenties or thirties the time where birthdays and being a year older are a thing to be celebrated becomes a thing of the past. Sure, we might still have a cake and presents and do some fun activities, but in the back of our head we can’t help but think ‘I’d like to stop getting older now, can I please stay at this age a bit longer?!’.

Okay, maybe not everyone hates birthdays to that extent, but I’m certain that everyone, to some degree, has a desire to preserve their youth and employ whatever anti-Ageing methods they can to make them look younger than their age. There are many ways to do this but keep in mind that preventative measures are always more effective than trying to reverse damage already done. Wrinkle creams can only do so much and, without going down a surgical procedure route, there is very little that can be done to annihilate signs of ageing that have already started to show.

So what can be done to slow down the ageing process? Well, there are a number of things you can do to keep yourself and your body healthy which will in itself lead to a more youthful appearance. Most of these you already know such as eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, not smoking, wearing sunscreen and a good skincare regime. Avoiding sugar laden foods and alcoholic drinks whilst amping up the amount of anti-oxidant rich foods you consume also goes a long way to looking and feeling youthful. However, did you know that one of the advantages of meditation is that it can be anti-ageing and keep us younger in both mind and body? Here’s how it works..

Stress and anxiety are some of the main contributors to ageing. They negatively impact our health on a day to day basis which has serious long term consequences to our bodies. When we are stressed, our cells are slow to repair, our immune system is weakened and our bodies are unable to regenerate effectively. All of these stresses contribute to accelerated ageing over a prolonged period of time. Meditation is proven to reduce stress and anxiety, and improve our general state of health which combats ageing and reduces our brain age.

Meditation increases melatonin production in the body. Melatonin is probably best known as the hormone that helps us to sleep better, but it also has anti-ageing properties, slows cell damage and inhibits the growth of cancer cells. Meditation also decreases levels of skin-thinning hormone Cortisol in the body and increases the production of anti-ageing hormone DHEA.

One of the other negatives that comes with ageing is cognitive deterioration such as memory loss and forgetfulness. Meditation can help prevent this and minimise the amount of brain loss we might experience as we get on in life. Studies have shown that the relaxation and concentration that takes place when we meditate could trigger the growth of new brain cells and increases grey matter.

So there you have it, some of the ways meditation can be used to fight the ageing process. Stress is essentially the enemy when it comes to ageing, so start meditating and reduce the stress in your life and you’ll feel ten years younger in no time!