Have you given meditation a try? What used to be thought of as a far-out form of eastern medicine has now become a proven method of dealing with stress and improving focus. Thanks to new apps, online videos, and even studios, it’s easier than ever to incorporate meditation into your daily routine. It can be particularly beneficial to students, so consider fitting in 10 minutes of meditation today to enjoy these four benefits.

Increased Focus

Meditation increases your ability to focus for longer sustained periods of time, which can be a huge help for paying attention during class. Studies have also found that students who meditate have a higher rate of success when taking exams, due to their increased focus. Better focus also results in increased brain processing and improved language-based skills

Outside of the classroom, focus improves your ability while playing sports or practicing music, or anywhere else where distractions can be damaging.

Improved Memory

A study from the Harvard Gazette found that participants who meditated for 27 minutes a day for 8 weeks showed an increase in grey matter of the brain – meaning they improved learning and memory abilities.

When your memory is strengthened, you can better retain the information you learn in class, leading to better performance in exams.

A strong memory is also important in the professional world, as it helps you to remember people’s names, direction given to you, and other details. Plus it means an increase ability to juggle many different ideas and concepts as once. With so much information coming at you all day long, it helps to improve your ability to remember it.

Reduced Anxiety and Stress

Too much stress can make a big negative impact on our health, including digestive issues, depression, insomnia, angers issues, and more. School is an inherently stressful time, as students juggle school work with a social life, while struggling to figure out their future.

Meditation teaches you to confront emotions and deal with stress in a healthy way. Taking a few minutes to meditate during a particularly stressful day, or while running from one appointment to another, can make a big difference.

Students who practice meditation have reported up to a 50% reduction in stress, anxiety, and ADHD symptoms.

Increased Attention

Do you find yourself hitting a wall during the day, where you feel you have no more energy to study or do the work you need to do? Meditation can help reduce your fatigue and increase your ability to pay attention. Certain types of meditation, including transcendental meditation, can even replace missed sleep to give you an energy boost.

Immunity Boost

When you are stressed out and not taking care of your body, your immune system can go down, causing you to get sick more frequently. Luckily, research has found that regular meditation results in real improvements to the immune system. If you can’t afford to get sick this term, consider meditation.

If you’re new to meditation, try a guided meditation video or app like Headspace. Try practicing for 10 minutes as soon as you get up in the morning, and you’ll feel the benefits before you know it!