Meditation is more than a spiritual practice. It has been proven that meditation brain waves, which are electromagnetic energy, represent the impacts of meditation on your body. Yes, you read that correctly.

While you meditate, many changes occur in your brain, which you will understand and learn about here. But, basically, meditation changes your brain’s electrical activity.

Are you curious as to how this occurs? Well, keep reading to learn more about the effects of meditation on brain waves.

But first, let’s take a look at brain waves and the effect they have on your health. Then, we will delve into the effects of meditation on brain waves. Keep reading!

Did You Know?Brain waves are known as neural oscillations. They are patterns of the central nervous system’s neural activity and are repetitive and rhythmic.

In This Article

What Are Brain Waves?

Brain waves are produced when neurons in your brain communicate with each other. They are synchronized electrical pulses.

Different types of brain waves are produced when you have thoughts, emotions, and behavior. The brain waves differ according to your mood and activity.

Slower brain waves make you feel tired and slow, whereas brain waves of higher frequency make you alert and active.

Let’s find out what meditation does to the brain waves.

Effects Of Meditation On Brain Waves

There are five types of brain waves, and each stands for a particular activity. Brain waves fluctuate according to what you do and feel.
Meditation, when done correctly, can move the brain waves from a higher frequency to a lower frequency, thereby having the ability to change how you feel.

Different parts of the brain get stimulated in a particular manner during meditation:

• The frontal lobe, which plans and reasons switch off during meditation, helps you detach and relax.
• The thalamus, which relays motor and sensory signals to the cerebral cortex, slows down its activity, enabling you to keep calm.
• The parietal lobe, which gives you a sense of time also slows down, helping to lower your stress and anxiety levels.
• The reticular keeps your brain alert and helps you respond to situations. During meditation, the reticular activity slows down, allowing you to keep calm and be peaceful.

To get a clear understanding, let’s learn about the different kinds of brain waves.

Types Of Brain Waves

1. Alpha Waves
2. Beta Waves
3. Theta Waves
4. Gamma Waves
5. Delta Waves

1. Alpha Waves

Alpha waves are the most common brain waves that occur at the beginning of meditation as you try to go into a deeper state of mind. They are electromagnetic oscillations with a frequency range of 8-12 Hz.

Function: Alpha waves calm the nervous system. They lower blood pressure and heart rate. The waves lower the production of stress hormones and promote relaxation.

Stylecraze SaysHans Berger, a German neurologist, discovered the Alpha waves. He also invented the EEG (electroencephalography) in 1924.

2. Beta Waves

Beta waves occur with a frequency range of 12-30 Hz. They become active when the brain is working on goal-oriented tasks, such as planning an event or pondering over an issue.

Function: Beta waves create awareness and improve concentration. They increase logical thinking and develop your conversational abilities.

3. Theta Waves

Theta waves are often associated with the ‘third eye’ as they help us tap into our wisdom, according to spiritual teachings. These become predominant when we do any task that is automatic like driving, washing clothes, shampooing hair, folding clothes, etc. They are also present in daydreaming and paranormal phenomena.

Function: Theta waves provide a positive mental state and encourage creativity. They improve your problem-solving skills and increase your memory. The waves improve your focus and keep you calm and balanced.

4. Gamma Waves

Gamma waves are associated with intense focus.

Function: Gamma waves decrease anxiety and fear and increase positive emotions. They reduce depressive feelings and symptoms.

5. Delta Waves

Delta waves are high amplitude brain waves with a frequency of 0-4 Hz. These brainwaves are associated with the deepest stages of sleep.

Function: Delta waves increase the production of two anti-aging hormones, DHEA and melatonin. They help promote deep compassion and empathy for others, improve social intelligence, and avoid conflict. The waves facilitate quick healing.

During meditation, the brain shows theta waves predominantly. These waves are associated with a relaxed state of mind as compared to alpha waves, which are associated with an aroused state of mind.

Benefits Of Meditation On The Brain

1. Gray Matter

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Although there is no conclusive scientific proof of this, some studies have shown that meditation is linked to the larger amounts of gray matter in the frontal areas of the brain. More gray matter can increase focus and emotional stability in an individual.

An MRI study conducted at Harvard University showed that meditation leads to thicker gray matter in the parts of the brain that are associated with compassion and self-awareness (1).

2. Anxiety

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Numerous neural pathways emerge from the medial prefrontal cortex of our brain. These trails connect to the brain’s fear and bodily sensation perception centers. When you are in an upsetting situation and feel scared or anxious, the prefrontal cortex is stimulated.

Meditation essentially loosens these tight connections to ensure no strong reaction is triggered in the prefrontal cortex. Meditation reduces the pangs of anxiety (2).

Related: Does Anxiety Cause Itching? How Do You Treat It?

3. Resilience

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Some researchers at Wisconsin-Madison University took MRI images of Tibetan monks and discovered that meditation and resilience have a deep-rooted connection. The study shows that meditation helps the amygdala (which is associated with emotion and emotional memories) recover quickly from trauma or stress (3).

4. Stress

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Reduced stress level is one of the biggest benefits of deep meditation.

Related: How Does Stress Cause Weight Loss? 10 Tips To Control It

5. Creativity

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At Leiden University, Netherlands, researchers found that people who practiced open-monitoring meditation performed better at tasks that demanded divergent thinking (4).

6. Memory

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According to research conducted by the Osher Research Center and Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, people practicing mindful meditation could adjust the brain waves to tune out distraction (5). This increases productivity and easy incorporation of new information and thus boosts memory.

Infographic – Benefits Of Different Brain Wave Meditations

Now that you know the types of brain waves, we’d like to stress on their benefits. Afterall, only if you understand their benefits better will you be able to completely appreciate this type of meditation.

Check out the infographic below to know the remarkable effects of meditation through different brain waves.

Your mood depends on the frequency of your brain waves, which can be controlled when you master the art of meditation. It helps stimulate different parts of the brain, helping you calm your mind and reduce anxiety and stress levels. The effects of meditation on brain waves include lowering blood pressure and heart rate, calming the nervous system, improving concentration and logical thinking, enhancing memory, reducing anxiety, and producing anti-aging hormones like melatonin and DHEA. So, say ‘yes’ to meditation and transform yourself from within!