Meditation and Breathing Exercises Can Sharpen Your Mind

Indigophoton · May 11, 2018

Summary: Trinity College Dublin researchers report controlled breathing, a key element of meditation, directly affects noradrenaline levels in the brain. The study suggests controlled breathing can enhance attention and improve overall brain health.

Source: Trinity College Dublin.

It has long been claimed by Yogis and Buddhists that meditation and ancient breath-focused practices, such as pranayama, strengthen our ability to focus on tasks. A new study by researchers at Trinity College Dublin explains for the first time the neurophysiological link between breathing and attention.

Breath-focused meditation and yogic breathing practices have numerous known cognitive benefits, including increased ability to focus, decreased mind wandering, improved arousal levels, more positive emotions, decreased emotional reactivity, along with many others. To date, however, no direct neurophysiological link between respiration and cognition has been suggested.

The research shows for the first time that breathing – a key element of meditation and mindfulness practices – directly affects the levels of a natural chemical messenger in the brain called noradrenaline. This chemical messenger is released when we are challenged, curious, exercised, focused or emotionally aroused, and, if produced at the right levels, helps the brain grow new connections, like a brain fertiliser. The way we breathe, in other words, directly affects the chemistry of our brains in a way that can enhance our attention and improve our brain health.
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The article, http://neurosciencenews.com/cognition-meditation-breathing-9026/amp

Abstract

Coupling of respiration and attention via the locus coeruleus: Effects of meditation and pranayama

The locus coeruleus (LC) has established functions in both attention and respiration. Good attentional performance requires optimal levels of tonic LC activity, and must be matched to task consistently.

LC neurons are chemosensitive, causing respiratory phrenic nerve firing to increase frequency with higher CO2 levels, and as CO2 level varies with the phase of respiration, tonic LC activity should exhibit fluctuations at respiratory frequency. Top‐down modulation of tonic LC activity from brain areas involved in attentional regulation, intended to optimize LC firing to suit task requirements, may have respiratory consequences as well, as increases in LC activity influence phrenic nerve firing.

We hypothesize that, due to the physiological and functional overlaps of attentional and respiratory functions of the LC, this small neuromodulatory nucleus is ideally situated to act as a mechanism of synchronization between respiratory and attentional systems, giving rise to a low‐amplitude oscillation that enables attentional flexibility, but may also contribute to unintended destabilization of attention.

Meditative and pranayama practices result in attentional, emotional, and physiological enhancements that may be partially due to the LC’s pivotal role as the nexus in this coupled system. We present original findings of synchronization between respiration and LC activity (via fMRI and pupil dilation) and provide evidence of a relationship between respiratory phase modulation and attentional performance.

We also present a mathematical dynamical systems model of respiratory‐LC‐attentional coupling, review candidate neurophysiological mechanisms of changes in coupling dynamics, and discuss implications for attentional theory, meditation, and pranayama, and possible therapeutic applications.
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Full paper available here, http://sci-hub.tw/10.1111/psyp.13091

Invisible Woman · May 11, 2018

I have tried both pranayama and meditation since developing ME and neither have improved the sharpness of my mind.

Meditation techniques can be useful to make sure the mind gets some rest.

Perhaps others fared better?

andypants · May 11, 2018

I used to meditate twice a day before I got ill, but after I have had trouble doing it. I feel like this might be related to the change in brain waves. Now instead of spacing out and relaxing I feel like I'm drowning or falling down a black airless hole. Not pleasant.

I've tried several times to get back into it, but no luck. I miss it. Especially on days when my brain is fried and I can't read or focus on anything and meditation feels like it would be just the thing. The only time it worked for me was the three days before a heavy cold this winter, when I felt completely recovered in every way. Didn't last

Alvin · May 11, 2018

If my mind gets any sharper i'll be considered comatose
This obviously doesn't apply to our type of brain damage

Hutan · May 11, 2018

The research shows for the first time that breathing – a key element of meditation and mindfulness practices – directly affects the levels of a natural chemical messenger in the brain called noradrenaline.
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My experience is that people who are not breathing for any sustained length of time aren't thinking well. So, breathing does seem like a good idea whenever possible.

Sorry, that's too easy. I've only superficially skimmed the paper, but I do think this is an example where the publicity 'Meditation and breathing exercises can sharpen your mind' isn't quite supported by the actual scientific findings in the paper.

Mij · May 11, 2018

@Alvin . . . do you think you have brain damage? I've had cognitive difficulties over the years but also periods of feeling back to normal as long as I don't overuse my brain. Back in 2000 I was at my worst and found out through testing that I was very deficient in Omega 3. I don't understand why I was deficient. Perhaps we have a higher demand for it. Dunno.

Alvin · May 11, 2018

Mij said: ↑

@Alvin . . . do you think you have brain damage? I've had cognitive difficulties over the years but also periods of feeling back to normal as long as I don't overuse my brain. Back in 2000 I was at my worst and found out through testing that I was very deficient in Omega 3. I don't understand why I was deficient. Perhaps we have a higher demand for it. Dunno.
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I certainly do, confirmed by multiple MRIs, though it seems to be the typically ME type reports, eerily similar to one of the ones posted in JenB's twitter threads a while back

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