How meditation can ease senior loneliness
Loneliness – a condition of growing older. Or is it?
Scientists at UCLA recently revealed in a study that an eight-week meditation course may be all that is needed to reduce loneliness in older adults. And that is exactly the length of the Pathway to Mindfulness program for seniors.
In addition, the researchers found that mindfulness meditation also reduces the expression of inflammatory genes, which are known to promote a variety of diseases.
Why are seniors lonely?
Simply, because in many instances, they are alone. And even if they are living with someone, they are often still lonely because the relationship is not a full or loving one. Loved ones have passed on, and children may be living far away. They may not be able to drive, and public transportation is too hard for them to maneuver. Their sense of purpose is often gone.
And that loneliness unfortunately is linked to emotional stress, declines in physical health and diseases such as Alzheimer’s, depression and increased risk of heart disease.
Mindfulness meditation
We teach insight mindfulness meditation, which trains the mind to be attentive and present, not only when meditating, but with practice, throughout the day. Participants learn to stop dwelling in the past or worrying about the future.
After an 8-week mindfulness meditation course, the participants in the UCLA study experienced less feelings of loneliness. Remarkably, through blood work drawn on each participant, researchers discovered that mindfulness meditation altered the genes and protein markers of inflammation, including:
- C-reactive protein (CRP), a potent risk factor for heart disease;
- A group of genes regulated by the transcription factor NF-kB, a molecular signal that activates inflammation.
Inflammation occurs naturally in our immune system and is important in the repair and restoration of our tissues. But chronic inflammation significantly contributes to many diseases and psychological disorders.
The study
Forty adults, between 55 and 85, were assigned to either a mindfulness meditation group or a control group that did not meditate. All were assessed before and after the 8-week sessions.
In the group that practiced meditation, the sessions focused on the techniques of mindfulness, ways to bring mindfulness into daily life and breathing techniques. In addition, they practiced meditation daily at home.