Meditation. 

Its no longer a practice reserved for Eastern religions or herbal-medication-loving hippies. 

The practice is becoming increasingly widespread in the United States as not only an alternative medicine for people who suffer from anxiety, pain, or depression, but as a daily means of dealing with life stress. 

There is biological evidence for its effectiveness–meditation has been shown to lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

Us college students can reap enormous benefits from meditating: 

It can improve our grades: A study published in the journal Psychological Science concluded that meditation boosts memory and reading comprehension skills that aid in better test performance. 

It can help us lose that freshman 15: A study in the Journal of Obesity concluded that meditation can improve eating patterns and reduce abdominal fat over time. 

It can help us during cold season: A University of Wisconsin study showed that meditation can help people have shorter, fewer, and less severe upper respiratory infections. 

It can help us sleep better: An NIH study concludes that meditation’s positive effects on the mind can lead to higher quality sleep. 

So why not give meditation a try? 

Don’t know how to start? Check out this brief WellCast video!