Is 5-minutes of Meditation Enough to Help Reduce Anxiety?

Meditation has so many amazing benefits, but many people assume that they need to meditate for long periods of time to get the benefits it provides.

But research suggests otherwise.

Just 5 minutes of meditation can be all that you need in order to enjoy the many benefits of meditation.

Studies indicate that 5-minutes of mindfulness meditation every day is enough to help reduce anxiety and improve your overall mood. Also, research suggests that the quality of the meditation may be more important than the length. With practice, the quality of your meditation will improve.  

In this blog post, we will explain why and how a 5-minute meditation can be beneficial for reducing anxiety, and give you some tips on how you can start your meditation journey, so keep on reading to find out!

Table of Contents:

• A 5-minute meditation can reduce anxiety.
• How to start practicing mindfulness meditation.
• Guided meditation example.
• Most amazing benefits of meditation.
• What is the ideal amount of time for meditation?
• When is the best time to meditate?
• Takeaway.

A 5-minute Meditation Can Reduce Anxiety.

A study published in The Journal of Psychology & Clinical Psychiatry in 2015 indicated that just 5 minutes of mindfulness meditation daily was enough to reduce anxiety and stress in participants. 

The same study also suggested that consistent practice of 5-minute mindfulness meditation can result in reduced stress in cancer patients, people with PTSD, social anxiety disorder, depression, and anger problems.

How to Practice Mindfulness Meditation

1. Find a quiet place you can sit or lie down.
2. Close your eyes and start focusing on your breath. 
3. Take a deep breath in and hold your breath for 4 to 7 seconds.
4. Exhale.
5. Repeat this cycle for 5 minutes. 

To learn about how you can use breathwork for reducing anxiety click here.

Guided meditation:

If you are just starting your meditation journey and cannot stay focused on your breath, a guided meditation is a great way to help you get started.

Our favorite channel for guided meditations on Youtube is “The Honest Guys.”

Here is an amazing example of their short guided meditations:

Most Amazing Benefits of meditation:

Structural Transformation (meditation changes the shape of your brain)

A study published in The Journal Psychiatry Research in 2011 indicated that meditation transforms the shape of your brain. 

• The Hippocampus
  • The hippocampus plays a significant role in critical cognitive functions like memory and learning. 
  • The study indicated that 8 weeks of meditation resulted in the hippocampus growing thicker and larger, resulting in better memory and faster learning. 

• The Amygdala
  • The amygdala is a region of the brain in charge of negative emotions like fear and anxiety. 
  • The study showed that regions of the amygdala in charge of negative emotions like anxiety and fear were reduced in size after 8 weeks of meditation. This means participants experienced less anxiety, stress, and fear. 

Deactivates Your Network (DMN)

The DMN or the Default Mode Network in your brain is in charge of all your brain’s cognitive functions. It helps you understand the past, the now, and the future. 

If the DMN is overactive, it causes overthinking, constant worry, and stress. 

A study published in The Journal Science in 2010 indicated that meditation slows down the DMN, which results in less overthinking, reduced worrying and anxiety. 

If you want to learn more about meditation click here.

Slows Down the Aging Process

A study done at UCLA in 2015 showed that daily meditation helps slow down the aging process in the brain. 

The study indicated that consistent meditation practice increases the brain’s grey matter, which helps hold back the negative effects of aging. 

Lowers the Perception of Pain 

The Journal of Neuroscience published a study that suggested a daily meditation practice can help lower your perception of pain by increasing your mental control over your pain level. 

Improves your Flow State 

The flow state means the short period of time that you can concentrate 100% on one task only. 

Mindfulness meditation helps you gain control over your flow state and the transition in or out of your flow state.

Increases Happiness 

A study done in 2008 showed that meditation gives you small boosts of unexpected happiness throughout the day. 

Stops Distractions

Meditation helps train your brain to focus on the tasks at hand and ignore all distractions. 

Increases Self-Confidence

A 1995 study showed that daily meditation can neutralize the fear of social interaction, lower general nervousness, and fear of judgment from others which helps increase self-confidence.

The study indicated that the effects of meditation could remain in the nervous system for up to 3 years.

The ideal amount of time for meditation.

You may have thought you need to meditate for 20 or 30 minutes minimum to get the benefits of meditation.

A study published in The Journal of Behavioural Brain Research in 2020 found that 8 weeks of daily 13-minute meditations resulted in reduced anxiety and fatigue, enhanced attention, and improved working memory. 

If you are new to meditation, start with 5 minutes. Over time as you become more efficient in meditating, you can increase your time.

The key is to start and stay consistent, and you will see results. 

Do you have morning anxiety? Click here to learn how you can create a morning routine that helps get rid of your morning anxiety. 

When is the Best time to meditate?

Early in the morning just after waking up or at night before going to sleep is the best time to meditate.

The brain goes through different wave cycles throughout the day: Beta, Alpha, Theta, Delta, and Gamma.  

The brain waves necessary for experiencing a deep meditative state correspond with the brain waves experienced as you wake up or fall asleep.

Brain Waves	State of Consciousness
Beta (14-40Hz)	waking state and alertness.
Alpha(7.5-14Hz)	Deep relaxation, daydreaming, light meditation
Theta (4-7.5Hz)	Light sleep and deep meditation
Delta (0.5-4Hz)	Deep dreamless sleep
Gamma(40Hz or more)	The insight wave, bursts of insight, and high-level information processing.

In the morning when you wake up, your brain waves switch from Delta to Theta to Alpha, and eventually Beta after you are fully awake.

Therefore, meditating right after waking up when your brain is still in the Theta or Alpha phase will give you an advantage because you can enter a deep meditative state faster.

Also, as you are falling asleep at night, your brain waves go from Beta to Alpha and then Theta. So if you meditate just before going to sleep, your brain is already slowing down, making it easier for you to enter a meditative state. 

A great bedtime routine can help reduce anxiety and stress, to learn more click here.

Takeaway: 

A brief 5-minute or 13-minute meditation can be enough to help reduce anxiety, improve focus, and enhance your memory. When you are just starting out, stay consistent and don’t give up. With time, you will come to experience the amazing benefits of meditation and will be able to increase your time and efficiency. Thank you for reading!

References:

Lam AG, Sterling S, Margines E (2015) Effects of Five-Minute Mindfulness Meditation on Mental Health Care Professionals. J Psychol Clin Psychiatry 2(3): 00076. DOI: 10.15406/jpcpy.2015.02.00076

Zeidan F, Martucci KT, Kraft RA, McHaffie JG, Coghill RC. Neural correlates of mindfulness meditation-related anxiety relief. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2014;9(6):751-759. doi:10.1093/scan/nst041

Basso JC, McHale A, Ende V, Oberlin DJ, Suzuki WA. Brief, daily meditation enhances attention, memory, mood, and emotional regulation in non-experienced meditators. Behav Brain Res. 2019 Jan 1;356:208-220. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.08.023. Epub 2018 Aug 25. PMID: 30153464. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2018.08.023