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How Meditation Boosts Melatonin, Serotonin, GABA, DHEA, Growth Hormone, & More
Backed by thousands of studies, meditation's incredible benefits reach far and wide. Here, we explore how the ancient practice upgrades 7 critical brain and body chemicals — as well as the massive implications.
#1: The "Happy Neurotransmitter" — How Meditation Boosts Serotonin
Of our approximately 86 billion brain cells, most all are influenced by serotonin. Known by many scientists as the "happy" neurotransmitter, serotonin is key to helping relay signals from one part of the brain to another. This crucial chemical has a profound impact on our mood, contributing greatly to our overall state of well-being.
According to Princeton brain researcher Barry Jacobs, PhD, depression sets in when fewer and fewer new brain cells are created, with stress and age being the leading trigger. Thankfully, depression sufferers don’t need to submit to a diminished quality of life, there is a highly effective, all-natural solution.
University of Montreal scientists (Perreau-Linck et al) have shown that activities like mindfulness have a direct impact on the brain’s production of serotonin levels. It is thought that meditation "bathes" neurons with an array of feel-good chemicals, effectively melting away the stress that leads to low serotonin levels and depression.
In the end, meditation’s serotonin replenishing effect works to create a utopian chemical environment for the production of new brain cells, making you a happier and healthier person.
#2: The "Stress Hormone" — How Meditation Reduces Cortisol
Cortisol, a major age-accelerating hormone, is the one chemical where less is better. When we are stressed, our bodies produce cortisol and adrenaline in abundance. This is normal, a natural product of our evolution.
However, over the long term, the chemical cocktail present when under chronic stress is not normal, and can tear your body down, destroying healthy muscle and bone, blocking the creation of good hormones, eventually leading to anxiety, depression, increased blood pressure, brain fog, insomnia, inflammation, the list goes on and on. Clearly, too much of this stress hormone is really bad news for your overall physical health.
Luckily, scientists have found a very powerful solution. In 2013, researchers at UC Davis discovered a very powerful connection between mindfulness and cortisol, with remarkable results seen within only a few short weeks.
In fact, another study by a Rutgers University doctor discovered that meditators had a nearly 50% reduction in cortisol levels! As many scientists claim Cortisol to be public enemy #1, meditation is always on-call ready to save the day!
#3: The "Longevity Molecule" — How Meditation Boosts DHEA
Best known by researchers as the "longevity molecule" and stress counter-puncher, DHEA is one of the most important hormones in the body. As we get older our DHEA levels decrease year after year, opening us up to disease and accelerated aging.
Doctors have measured DHEA levels to find a patient’s physiological "true age", a far more accurate health marker than "age in years." In fact, a 12 year study of 240 men (50-79 years) found that DHEA levels were directly linked to mortality. The researchers' findings were simple yet impactful: the less DHEA you have, the fewer years you have left.
Luckily, meditation provides a dramatic boost in DHEA hormone levels. Dr. Vincent Giampapa, M.D., former President of the American Board of Anti-Aging Medicine and current prominent longevity researcher, discovered that meditation practitioners have an incredible 43.77% more DHEA over everybody else! Is meditation the fountain of youth? Many scientists think so.
#4: The "Calm Chemical" — How Meditation Boosts GABA
Best known for making you feel calm, GABA (gamma aminobutyric acid) is one of the major inhibitory neurotransmitters in your central nervous system.
If you are struggling with a bad habit then it's virtually guaranteed that your GABA is depleted. Not having enough of this super-important chemical can create an array of problems, including anxiety, nervousness, racing thoughts, and sleeplessness. Luckily, there is an effective solution.
In 2010, Psychiatrists at the Boston University School of Medicine found a 27% increase in GABA levels after only 60 minutes of mindful exercises - proven even more effective than physical exercise! Researchers were quite surprised by the "more powerful than exercise" finding, but meditation has been practiced over the millennia for very good reason.
Visiting this super-effective neuron soothing state every day during meditation can effectively melt away any anxiety and break any bad habit you may carry, clearing the path for your highest potential to be realized.
#5: The "Euphoric Neurotransmitter" — How Meditation Boosts Endorphins
Responsible for the all-encompassing sense of happiness we sometimes feel, endorphins are a category of neurotransmitters that the body uses as an internal pain killer. A 1995 study (Harte et al) published in the Biological Psychology Journal tested the neurochemical release of two groups — 11 elite runners and 12 highly trained meditators — after running and meditation, respectively. What did they find? Both groups’ endorphin levels were greatly elevated. Perhaps even more amazing, meditation's "feel-good effect" scored even better than running!
Joggers have coined the term "runners euphoria" to describe how wonderful the endorphin rush feels after a nice, long run. This happy, zen-like, alert state of bliss can be a powerful and mega-pleasurable experience, going a long way to explain why so many runners are obsessed with their sport. Luckily, this wonderful mind-state is readily found through meditation. Maybe it is time for meditators to come up with a cool phrase for how good they feel after meditation?
#6: The "Fountain of Youth" — How Meditation Boosts Growth Hormone
Since the dawn of time, man has sought out the elusive "fountain of youth." While most people today no longer believe in miraculous, "stay young forever" potions like our ancestors once did, growth hormone (GH) is making a very strong case as the key to turning back the hands of time.
GH stimulates growth during childhood and sustains our tissues and organs today. Starting in your 40s, your pituitary gland, the pea-sized structure at the base of your brain where growth hormone is produced, gradually decreases the amount of GH it creates. The body’s diminishing supply of growth hormone causes the frailty that comes with aging—weaker bones and muscles, increased body fat, poor heart contractions, bad moods, lack of motivation, and fatigue.
With so many benefits to our overall health and well-being, it is easy to understand why movie stars spend $10,000+/year taking GH. But you don’t need to be a millionaire to beat Father Time.
The key state where our brains release the most growth hormone, "Delta" is a key brainwave frequency found during both meditation and the deepest stage of sleep. Perhaps meditators naturally elevated growth hormone levels are why they tend to look so young and healthy? Scientists seem to think so. Session by session, meditation effectively turns back the clock.
#7: The "Sleep Molecule" — How Meditation Boosts Melatonin
Since the beginning of time, our biological clocks have been dictated by Earth’s natural cycles of light and dark. In recent decades, in an effort to become a 24 hour per day, super-productive society, modern man has been experimenting with ever shorter nights and longer and longer days.
This unbalancing, combined with our newfound love of morning to night screen staring, is taking a heavy biological toll on us all. With excessive light being the number "1" enemy of melatonin, perhaps the most important casualty of this epidemic is that we are shutting down our body’s production of this critical chemical.
A key to good mood and restful sleep, melatonin is a hormone manufactured by the pineal gland, with levels in the blood peaking just before bedtime. A chemical "Superhero", melatonin is known to strengthen the immune system, slow down aging, and has been linked to helping prevent over 100 different diseases.
Luckily there is a very effective, all natural solution. Rutgers University researchers discovered that melatonin levels for meditation practitioners were boosted by an average of 98%, with many participants having increases of more than an incredible 300%! Incorporating meditation into your life can be your much needed biological re-balancing tool.
Using safe and highly effective sound technology, all EquiSync programs are designed to carefully ease the listener's brainwaves into a state of deep meditation, opening the door to the ancient mind practice's limitless benefits much faster than the traditional route. You can learn more about how it works from the links below:
Over a decade ago, we released our highly popular brainwave system, EquiSync Classic. Since then, we have upgraded the program continually, ensuring our deep meditation audio technology stays on the cutting edge. The latest version of the program includes seven-plus hours of highly optimized downloadable MP3 audio tracks (that you own forever). While Deepereum may be the more robust system of the two, many people, especially those new to the technology, prefer the elegant simplicity of EquiSync Classic. Sign Up
EquiSync Deepereum is the first program on the market that allows you to precisely build, customize, & curate a meditation audio track to your liking. With the program's powerful configuration options (brainwave frequency, entrainment technique, session length, audio quality, soundscape, & more), Deepereum opens the door to thousands upon thousands of potential track combinations. While intermediate to advanced users really love the program, Deepereum is built for everyone. Sign Up
EquiSync Element is the ultimate meditation tool. With it you can quickly and easily create a multilayered, harmonically resonant meditation soundscape — with the purest frequencies. Built with maximum flexibility in mind, there is no limit to what you can create. While advanced users really love the program, Element's powerful auto-generation tools make the program accessible for everyone. You are encouraged to explore EquiSync Element's never-ending options to discover what works best in your practice. Sign Up
While we have outlined one basic philosophy / form of meditation in the links below, if you already have a proven meditation technique — then we encourage you to combine & enhance it with our audio technology. EquiSync uses sound to deepen the meditative state no matter your chosen technique.
How can meditation benefit your life? Our highly referenced, highly backlinked "benefit of meditation" articles are known for their in-depth research & inspirational tone. A few good reads are linked below:
