A study on college students has found Transcendental Meditation greatly benefited students, who were at risk of physical and mental health problems and helped in lowering their blood pressure levels, including improving psychological distress and coping skills.

Background information on the study conducted on 298-students showed, a 50% increase in depression among college students, and in comparison to 10-years ago, the use of anti- depressants had doubled. Transcendental Meditation has proved to be a timely intervention for college students in improving their mental and physical health, the result of increased distress levels witnessed on college campuses. Practicing meditation was seen to lower blood pressure levels, preventing long-term health problems.

Sanford Nidich, EdD, lead author and senior researcher at the Institute for Natural Medicine and Prevention, Maharishi University of Management explains. He says previous research indicates, psychological distress, such as, anxiety, depression, and ange contribute to the development of hyper-tension in young adults. The study also indicates stress control also leads to improvements in the blood pressure of college students.

Split into two groups, one group of students practiced meditation, while the other was put on a wait list. Students, who were at risk for hypertension and who for 3-months involved themselves in Transcendental Meditation, experienced a 6.3-mm Hg drop in systolic blood pressure and a 4.0-mm Hg drop in diastolic blood pressure, reducing risk of future blood pressure elevations by
52%. Lower blood pressure readings were associated with lower stress levels.

A just published study in the American Journal of Hypertension suggests practising meditation not only brings cardiovascular and mental-health benefits, but it also reduces the risk of death and cardiovascular events in patients with heart disease by 42%.

So, finding a suitable meditation type is important, such as, focusing on an object or a mantra; or cultivating positive emotions; or not judging thoughts that arise, but simply accepting them and not getting attached. More meditation offers stronger effects and anywhere between 20 to 40-minutes of daily meditation should show positive results.