A 20-Minute Stress Reliever
Finding time for meditation might ease fatigue, add energy

(HealthDay News) -- Here's another thing to put on the to-do list: 20 minutes of meditation daily to reduce stress.

While adding to the list of things to do might seem like the least likely way to reduce stress, taking 20 minutes a day, most days of the week, to stop and meditate might just reduce levels of stress hormones, reduce anxiety and depression and increase energy levels.

At least that's what one group of researchers found.

Using a technique from traditional Chinese medicine called integrative body-mind training, Chinese college students had a significant drop in the levels of the stress hormone cortisol. They also enjoyed a boost to their immune system, felt they had more energy and less fatigue and were less likely to feel anger, anxiety or depression than were people who used standard Western relaxation therapy.

"A meditation method developed in China showed remarkably better performance among those who went through the training compared with those who used relaxation training," the study's lead author, Michael Posner, a psychology professor at the University of Oregon 's Institute of Cognitive and Decision Sciences, told HealthDay .

The term "meditation" refers to a group of techniques rooted in Eastern spiritual traditions, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. The central idea in meditation is to quiet the mind and suspend thoughts that normally run constantly through it.

According to the center, most forms of meditation have four things in common:

• A quiet spot with few distractions.
• A comfortable but specific posture.
• An object, mantra or breathing technique to help focus attention.
• An open mind, so the meditator can let go of distractions.

Meditation can be practiced on its own or along with other Eastern medicine practices, such as yoga, tai chi or qigong , according to the center.

Posner's study included 40 Chinese undergraduate students who were randomly assigned to integrative meditation or relaxation therapy. Based on ancient Chinese medicine, integrative meditation was developed in the 1990s, according to the study.

The groups practiced meditation or relaxation for 20 minutes, five days a week.

When the researchers compared the two groups, the integrative meditation showed a clear benefit over relaxation therapy, they reported. Those in the meditation group had lower levels of cortisol, higher levels of immuno-reactivity, were less fatigued and were less likely to be angry, anxious or depressed.

One caveat, Posner said, is that the findings "could be culturally specific."

"This is a kind of scientific demonstration about the possible advantage to meditation, at least for the Chinese undergraduates," he said. But he added that he thought the study showed that it is possible to lower stress hormones with training.

Results of the study were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .

On the Web

To learn more about stress relief, visit the Web site of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

SOURCES: HealthDay News ; Michael Posner, Ph.D., professor, Department of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive and Decision Sciences, University of Oregon, Eugene, Ore.; Oct. 8-13, 2007, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ; National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (www.nccam.nih.gov)
Author: Serena Gordon
Publication Date: Sept. 30, 2008
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