Millions of people around the world start their days with a cup of coffee. It’s one of the most popular drinks in the world, and it offers a surprising number of benefits for your health. But did you know there are coffee benefits for hair, too?
Here are some great reasons to add coffee to your hair care routine and how to do it.
The Surprising Coffee Benefits for Hair
So, what are the benefits of coffee for hair? Why should you add this world-famous drink to your hair care routine?
Have you always dreamed of having long, luscious locks? Coffee may help you reach that goal and improve hair health. It can even help stop hair loss, too.
Research has found that the caffeine in coffee is what helps stimulate hair growth, stops hair loss and helps improve hair health. How?
Caffeine helps block DHT in men’s hair follicles
It helps elongate the hair shaft to create wider, longer hair roots
It extended anagen duration (the hair growth stage)
It has a growth-promoting effect on female hair follicles, too
Caffeine is a stimulant, which means that it can also help boost circulation to the scalp and hair follicles. Improved blood flow to the scalp can help your hair grow faster and make it stronger, too. The end result? Thicker, fuller-looking hair.
2. Exfoliates Your Scalp
You’ve heard of using coffee grinds to exfoliate your skin. A natural coffee scrub can buff away dead skin cells and help improve circulation.
But you can also use coffee scrubs on your scalp for the same effect. Exfoliation is so good for the skin, but we often neglect our scalps.
A simple coffee scrub made of old coffee grinds – and nothing else – can help:
Get rid of dead skin cells on your scalp
Promote blood flow to your hair follicles
Leave your scalp feeling refreshed and rejuvenated
Just a word of warning, though – this scrub can get messy! Make sure that you rinse several times and don’t forget to shampoo. If you have a scalp massager brush for the shower, use it – it will help get the grinds out of your hair.
Try using cold water to rinse to help seal the cuticle before you style.
3. Makes Your Hair Softer and Shinier
If your hair is dull and brittle, coffee may bring it back to life. A simple coffee rinse can make your hair softer and smoother. It can give you shiny locks, too.
The caffeine in coffee won’t strip your hair of its natural oils. In fact, it has the opposite effect. Coffee can help your hair retain moisture and leave a natural sheen.
Of course, all of that extra blood flow to the scalp will feed your hair more nutrients and oxygen for overall healthier hair.
The flavonoids (i.e., antioxidants) in coffee can help promote hair regeneration. And the hair-smoothing properties of coffee can even help tame frizz. So, give coffee rinses a try if you have curly hair and struggle with frizz and detangling.
4. Kick Grays to the Curb
Did you know that coffee acts as a natural hair stain? Regular coffee rinses can help cover up grays to leave your hair looking youthful and resilient.
Of course, this trick really only works with dark hair. For best results, use a dark roast coffee or espresso. Their rich colors will have a more dramatic effect on your hair color.
Green Coffee Benefits for Hair
When most people talk about using coffee in their hair or skin routines, they usually refer to using roasted coffee beans. But what about green coffee? Are there any green coffee benefits for hair?
Yes! Green coffee’s antioxidants help fight free radicals and keep your hair looking and feeling its best.
And green coffee oil has antimicrobial properties that can detox your scalp while:
Reducing itchiness
Preventing dandruff
Promoting hair growth
Why is green coffee oil so great for your hair? It’s loaded with:
Essential fatty acids
Vitamin E
Its moisturizing properties can help keep your hair soft, smooth and hydrated. Just make sure that you use a high-quality green coffee oil.
What About Coffee Oil Benefits for Hair?
We talked a little bit about green coffee oil benefits, but what about regular coffee oil? Coffee oil does have many benefits for your hair, and the convenient oil form makes it so easy to apply.
Here’s what coffee oil can do for your hair:
Promote hair growth and stop hair loss (thanks, caffeine!)
Seal in moisture for hydrated, shiny hair
Smooths and tames frizz
Softens and prevents split ends
Balance scalp pH
You can find coffee oil products online that are meant for hair (they’re sometimes called “coffee seed oil”). For scalp treatments, look for products that come in squeezable bottles with nozzles. These bottles make it easier to apply the oil directly to your scalp and roots.
You can also apply coffee oil to damp hair before styling to moisturize and protect your hair. Take care to only use a small amount. A little goes a long way with coffee oil – or any oil for that matter. Just a few drops will help tame frizz and seal in moisture.
Drinking Coffee Benefits for Hair
You know that applying coffee to your hair and scalp has benefits, but what about drinking it? Can your morning cup of java also make your hair look healthy and beautiful? Yes.
Coffee is rich in antioxidants. For many people, coffee is their primary source of antioxidants in their diets.
All of those antioxidants help improve hair growth by helping maintain collagen in both the body and the connective tissues of your hair follicles. They also help protect scalp cells in your blood vessels to encourage healthy hair growth.
So, when you drink coffee, you’re helping improve your hair from the inside out.
Final Thoughts
As it turns out, drinking coffee is good not only for your soul – and sanity – but for your hair, too. Use the tips above to incorporate coffee into your hair care routine and enjoy yet another excuse to enjoy your morning cups of coffee.
Do you wake up in the morning feeling like you need a nap? We’ve all been there, but if this sounds like your daily morning routine, it may be time for a change. What you do before bed may be sabotaging your sleep and your mornings. So, what are some good things to do before bed every night? What can you do at night to feel more energized in the morning? Here are some helpful tips.
6 Positive Things to do Before Bed to Feel Energized in the Morning
1. Prepare for the Next Day
To wake up feeling energized and ready to tackle the day, start prepping for the day the night before. Try to get everything ready for the day before you hit the pillow.
Lay out your clothes for the next day.
Set your coffee maker to start brewing before you wake up.
Make and pack your lunch, so it’s ready to go.
Put your bags near the door, so you don’t forget anything on your way out in the morning.
Create a to-do list of things you need to tackle for the day, starting with the most important tasks.
Taking a little time to prepare for tomorrow will save you stress and time in the morning. That alone will help you feel more energized.
2. Find Relaxing Things to do Before Bed
Do you have trouble falling asleep at night? You’re not alone. About 70 million Americans have chronic sleep problems. While the issue is complicated, part of the problem is that people are just too anxious or wired to fall asleep.
Setting aside time to do calming things to do before bed can help you wind down and get into the right state of mind to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Meditate
A nightly meditation practice can help you relax, forget the stresses of the day and quiet your mind. All of that chatter, noise and worry disappear when you learn how to master meditation, and that can help you sleep better at night.
Research has found that mindfulness meditation can help improve sleep quality. Over the long term, these improvements are on par with those seen with sleep medication. There are many benefits of meditation anyway, so you have nothing to lose by giving it a try.
If you’re not sure how to get started, check out the video below for an excellent guided sleep meditation.
It’s hard to beat the calming effects of a warm bath. Play some soothing music, light some candles, add a bath bomb and slip into a state of total relaxation.
Make it part of your nightly ritual to help you unwind and get ready for bed at night.
Do a Little Nighttime Yoga
A little nighttime yoga can melt your stress and tension away, making it easier to sleep at night. The key is to choose a practice that’s slow and easy-going, like the one below.
Deep breaths can help slow your heart rate and calm your nervous system. If you’re feeling stressed or anxious about something, deep breathing exercises give you something to focus on and help bring you back into the present moment.
Try this super easy breathing exercise to help bring you into a relaxed state before bed:
Breathe in for four seconds.
Hold your breath for four seconds.
Breathe out for four seconds.
Hold your breath for four seconds.
Keep repeating this slow breathing practice until you fall asleep naturally or get into a more relaxed state.
Listen to Soothing Music
Music is a powerful thing. It can pump you up for a workout, it can make you sad, and it can also help you feel more relaxed.
Research has found that music around 60 beats per minute helps the brain synchronize with the beat, and this causes alpha brainwaves. Alpha brainwaves appear when we’re relaxed.
You can find soothing, relaxing music here to help you drift off to sleep at night.
Read a Book
Many people have trouble falling asleep because their brains are too stimulated. Reading may help with that. In fact, reading can help lower cognitive arousal, de-stimulate your brain and even help you stay asleep longer.
Just be careful not to overdo it, and stick to books with lighter storylines. Reading something from the horror genre may just give you nightmares.
3. Disconnect for the Night
I think we can all agree that we spend too much time in front of screens every day. And we’re all guilty of scrolling or binge-watching a Netflix show before bed. But screen use before bed is probably ruining your sleep.
Screens produce blue light, which is the part of the light spectrum that’s most active when we sleep. But when you stimulate this part of your brain, you make it harder for your body to produce melatonin and “shut down” your brain for the night. In other words, it messes with your sleep cycle.
Research has found that two or more hours of screen time at night can seriously hinder the release of melatonin, making it even harder to fall asleep.
Disconnect at least an hour before bedtime. Turn off all devices and screens and do something else – like one of the calming activities above.
It’s hard to resist the temptation to check Instagram one more time before your head hits the pillow, but it’s not doing your sleep or your health any favors. Use your before-bed time to come back to the present moment, relax your mind and prepare for the next day. Make it a daily ritual and consider this time to care for yourself and your mental health.
4. Create a Consistent Bedtime Routine
Creating a healthy bedtime routine can help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep for longer. If you go to bed at the same consistent time every single day and follow the same routine, eventually, that routine will become a signal to your body that it’s time for bed. You’ll naturally feel tired at bedtime.
Your nighttime routine can include:
Doing your nightly skincare ritual
Brushing your teeth
Using an aromatherapy diffuser
Listening to calming music
Meditating or deep breathing
Focus on adding calming and relaxing activities to your evening routine to get your body and mind into that relaxed state.
Also, make sure you set a consistent sleep schedule. That means going to bed at the same time every night – even on weekends.
5. Write in a Gratitude Journal
Gratitude is a pretty amazing thing. Research has found that writing in a gratitude journal for just 15 minutes each day can help you worry less at night and enjoy better quality sleep.
The idea is simple:
Write down things you are grateful for in a journal
Practice this every single night before bed
The practice helps you stay focused on the positive things in your life and forget your troubles before you lay your head down at night.
Studies have found that people who practice gratitude are generally less depressed and much happier in their lives. Keeping a gratitude journal can help improve your mental health over the long term, which will make you more excited to wake up in the morning and take on the day.
6. Drink Herbal Tea
A hot, soothing cup of herbal tea can help you fall asleep and stay asleep at night. Many herbs naturally help you relax and even induce sleep.
Some of the best herbal teas for bed include:
Valerian root, which has long been used as a sleep tonic. Valerian root can help reduce stress, headaches, anxiety and heart palpitations. Why is this root so effective at helping you sleep? It has two natural sedatives in it: sesquiterpenes and valepotriates.
Chamomile. People have been using chamomile to help with relaxation and sleep for centuries. Like valerian root, the flower contains active compounds that have tranquilizing effects, like apigenin.
Lavender, which is well-known for its relaxing effects.
Magnolia bark, which has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for centuries as a sleep aid. The bark contains a compound called honokiol. This compound binds to GABA receptors to help you feel more relaxed and make it easier to fall asleep.
Try drinking your tea about an hour before bed to give it time to kick in. Use honey instead of sugar or drink it plain to help your body stay in a relaxed state.
Follow the tips above to improve your quality of sleep, make your morning routine less stressful and help you feel more energized. Once you get into the habit of sleeping well and waking up refreshed, you may just find that you can sleep less and better.
Everyone wants to maximize their time. There’s an obsession with The 4-Hour Workweek, and the mega-wealthy often promote getting less than eight hours of sleep per night. But if you’re like me and enjoy your sleep, you’re probably wondering how to get less sleep and feel better?
If I sleep less than six hours, I might feel energized at first and then crash midday.
However, there are ways for you to improve the quality of your sleep so that you don’t suffer a midday crash, as many people do.
Let’s see how to get better and less sleep so that you can maximize your day.
Sleep Duration of the Wealthy
You should be listening to researchers on the amount of time to sleep. However, some of the most successful people in the world have shared their sleep habits, which is quite interesting:
Elon Musk told Joe Rogan he sleeps about six hours per night because anything more and he feels less productive.
Bill Gates now sleeps 7 hours per night because he feels happier and more creative.
Jeff Bezos states he sleeps eight hours per nightbecause he has more energy.
It’s worth noting that Gates used to think that sleeping a lot was a lazy habit, but he says he was obsessed with work at the time.
While this list can be drastically longer, these three individuals are often seen as the most successful in the world and sleep 6 – 8 hours per night. You may hear that some people sleep four hours or less per night, but this habit can lead to severe sleep deprivation.
How to Get Less Sleep and Feel Better
If you’re sleeping 7 – 8 hours per night, this is a good range and not something that you should strive to change. Squeezing in an extra hour of work per day and feeling exhausted is likely to hamper your productivity more than it helps it.
There are also some serious risks to under-sleeping, which we’ll get into in more detail shortly.
So, why do you function better with less sleep sometimes? Quality of sleep is important, and a person sleeping in the middle of a quiet forest will likely have a much higher sleep quality than someone trying to sleep with noise all around them.
Quick Lesson on Sleep Stages
When you sleep, you’re going to sleep in one of five stages. The stages of sleep are:
Wake
N1
N2
N3
REM
You’ll sleep in cycles, and you can really consider N1 – N3 as simply non-REM sleep. REM, short for rapid eye movement, is a short period of sleep.
In fact, REM sleep is when you’re dreaming and isn’t actually a restful sleep stage. Instead, REM sleep is rather close to your wake stage of sleep. Of course, all stages of sleep are important, but deep sleep seems to be associated with feeling rested.
In this case, N3 is the deepest, non-REM sleep that you can obtain. Sleeping in N3 allows for:
Body repairs
Immune system strength
Bone building
Tissue regrowth
Etc.
Hacking Your Way to Deep Sleep
Unfortunately, you can read about how to sleep less and better, follow recommendations on things to do before bed and that’s it when trying to get better sleep. However, one study does suggest that through auditory stimulation, there may be ways to:
Improve N3 sleep quantity
Increase sleep depth
Improve next-day sleep
And it’s suggested that with the right auditory environment, it may be possible to improve sleep quality even when sleep duration is lower.
With that said, researchers have not released any audio to follow to achieve these goals. We have dug up a few studies on tips that can improve sleep:
10 Sleep Hacks to Improve Sleep Quality
If you want to sleep less and better, you may want to try the following:
Exercise during the day but not too close to sleep
Avoid blue light, like the one from your phone for an hour before bed
Keep bright lights out of your room (blackout curtains help)
Reduce caffeine intake and do not drink caffeine six hours before bed
Reduce your alcohol consumption
Avoid liquids before bed to lower the risk of having to get up in the middle of the night
Put your phone on silent to avoid distractions
Take a hot bath
Meditate
Practice deep breathing
You’ll also want to read our article on how to get to bed on timebecause maintaining a routine will make it easier to get the sleep you need every night.
Changing your sleep patterns will help ensure that you lower these risks. Poor quality sleep, even if you’re awake for more hours during the day, can have a long-lasting, negative impact on your well-being.
FAQs
Why Do I Function Better With Less Sleep?
Sleeping less and feeling better may be due to:
Better sleep quality
Gene mutation (more on this below)
If you’re oversleeping, defined as more than 9 hours of sleep a night, it may not be good for your health. Research suggests that oversleeping may be a sign of an underlying problem – so you may want to schedule a checkup with your doctor.
How to Sleep Less Than 4 Hours?
Extremists seem to hack their way to four hours of sleep at night or less. If you go on social media, you’ll find a lot of people boasting about their lack of sleep. However, there is a form of sleep called Polyphasic sleep, which refers to sleeping in more than two segments per day.
For example, a person may:
Sleep 4 hours from 11pm to 3am
Take a nap from 6am to 6:30am
Take a nap from 12pm to 12:30pm
Take a nap from 5pm to 5:30pm
You’ll find quite a few variations of this sleeping method, such as the Dymaxion schedule, which includes 4, 30-minute naps every six hours for a total of 2 hours of sleep per day.
There’s also the Uberman schedule of napping for 20 minutes every 4 hours.
A few things that are worth noting here are no studies indicating that your body will adapt to this extreme sleep deprivation.
In fact, a 2017 study found that following a Polyphasic sleep schedule led to the same side effects of sleep deprivation in some participants, including:
Anxiety
Depression
Heart disease
Stroke
Sleep apnea
Diabetes
High blood pressure
Etc.
You may feel great for freeing up time in your day by not sleeping, but the long-term risks can also be severe.
Is It Better to Sleep 6 or 7 Hours?
Ideally, you’ll sleep within the recommended hours for your age group, as outlined in the section “How Much Sleep Do I Really Need?” In most cases, sleeping 7 hours per night is ideal, even though Elon Musk sleeps around six hours per night.
Your body may need less sleep if you have a specific gene mutation.
Scientists have uncovered a gene called ADRB1, which if you have, you can sleep less than seven hours a night without any consequences.
What is Gene ADRB1?
A study from 2019 suggests that a genetic mutation of the β1-adrenergic receptor gene allows people to:
Sleep less
Keep neurons active during REM
Promote wakefulness
The genetic mutation is called ADRB1. Essentially, the mutation shows the important role of these receptors in wakefulness and sleep regulation. And, according to current research, the gene allows for less than 6.5 hours of sleep without any noticeable side effects.
You can read up on hacks and tricks on how to get less sleep and feel better, but your body truly needs sleep to function correctly. In the short-term, you may not notice a significant difference when sleeping less, but the long-term risks are concerning.
Set aside time for adequate sleep: you deserve it.
In the age of information overload, it’s hard to stay focused while studying. It doesn’t matter whether you’re in high school, college or grad school – blocking out the noise can feel like an uphill battle.
But with the right routine, environment and plan, you’ll find it much easier to concentrate and stay on task. Here are 12+ tips to help you stay focused while you study.
How To Stay Focused While Studying for Exams
If you have an exam coming up, you probably have limited time to study. Whether you’re cramming the night before, pulling an all-nighter or studying days ahead of time, you can use these tips to help you stay on track.
1. Avoid Distractions
Distractions are the biggest threat to your concentration, and they are everywhere.
Your phone
Your friends
Your TV
Your pets
It’s easy to get distracted when you have so much going on around you all the time. Do everything you can to kick distractions to the curb while you study, like:
Put your phone on airplane mode to avoid getting social media notifications or phone calls. Better yet – turn off your mobile device. Set a no cell phones rule for your study period.
Studying in a room without a TV. Sit outside if the weather permits and it’s a peaceful place.
Keep your pets outside of the room, or encourage them to settle down and relax while you study.
Let your friends know that you’ll be unavailable until you’re done studying.
Make it easy to avoid distractions and you’ll find that you’re better able to stay focused on studying for your exam.
2. Set Goals
It’s not enough to just say, “I’m going to study for the test.” If you want to stay focused and succeed in your study sessions, you have to set goals.
What do you want to accomplish during your session?
What material do you want to cover?
Make sure that your goals are:
Specific
Measurable
Time-specific
Attainable
For added motivation, give yourself regular rewards for achieving your study goals.
It’s much easier to stay focused when you have an objective to achieve and a plan to get there.
3. Create a Study Ritual
Staying focused can be challenging, but you may find it much easier to stay on track if you have a study ritual. These are tasks that you do every time you study, and they can help you get into the right state of mind for each session.
A ritual may look like this:
Head to your usual study spot at home (or wherever you normally study).
Set up your space. Gather all of the material you will need for your session.
Block out all distracting websites on your browser.
Set your phone to airplane mode or silent.
Set up any timers that you may be using for your study period.
Grab a glass of water and a snack.
Creating a study ritual doesn’t have to be complicated. It just has to help you get into the right frame of mind for studying.
4. Have a Dedicated Study Space
Your study environment will play a big role in your ability to stay focused. Creating a dedicated space for studying will make it easier to cut out distractions and just concentrate on the task ahead.
Ideally, your space should be:
Quiet. Avoid studying in the kitchen or other busy areas (like a coffee shop) where there’s bound to be noise and other distractions.
Comfortable. Studying at a desk or table will give you some space to spread out. Avoid studying somewhere that’s too comfortable, like the couch or a bed. You don’t want to fall asleep in the middle of your study session.
Well-lit. Low-light environments will make you sleepy and strain your eyes. Use a bright desk lamp or an overhead lamp to keep your space well-lit.
Clutter-free. A clean, organized space will make it easier to stay focused. Clutter can be distracting and even stressful, so keep your study space tidy.
Yours. There’s nothing wrong with personalizing your space. Hang inspiring photos, choose colors you love and make your space feel like yours. The goal is to create a study space that you want to be in.
These simple tips can help you stay focused when studying for an exam, but you can incorporate the tips below into your routine, too.
How To Stay Focused While Studying Another Language
Learning a new language is hard. But no matter what combination of learning methods you use, you still need to study. Dedicating time to learning the language is the only way you’ll reach any level of fluency.
But staying on track isn’t easy, especially if you’re already struggling with your studies.
If you’re having trouble staying focused when learning a language, here are some tips.
5. Slow Down
It’s harder to learn a language as an adult. Part of the reason why we struggle with grasping a new language is that we’re trying to cram as much as we can into every single session. And unfortunately, our adult brains tend to over-analyze things, which only makes it worse.
If you want to stay focused and actually retain the information you’re learning, then do yourself a favor and slow down.
Take the time to really absorb and understand each new thing you’re learning, whether it’s a new word or a new grammar rule. It’s much easier to stay focused when you’re not trying to rush from one thing to the next.
Take your time, and only focus on one thing at a time during your study sessions.
6. Study in Short Spurts
Many people assume that you have to study for hours every day to learn a language. You can spend that much time on learning (if you have it), but not everyone can really keep their focus and interest going for that long.
To stay focused, study in short spurts. Aim for at least 20 minutes per day total. That can be broken up into two or three hyper-focused study sessions, or all at once. The key is to break the materials down into manageable chunks.
Short sessions may help with your concentration and keep you from feeling overwhelmed.
7. Gamify Your Studying
It’s easy to stay focused and on track when you enjoy what you’re doing. With language learning – and for many other subjects – it can be challenging to make studying enjoyable. Gamifying your studying may help.
There are lots of language learning apps out there that help you learn and make it fun, too. They also incorporate different approaches, which makes it even easier to concentrate on your studies.
Apps like these are designed to keep you engaged, so you’ll enjoy learning.
How To Stay Focused While Studying at Night
Are you a student focusing on studying at night? It can be difficult to stay on track after a long day of classes and whatever other plans you had for the day. Here are some tips to help you stay focused.
8. Create a Study Plan
If you can only study at night, it may be helpful to create a study schedule. If you have a plan, you’ll be able to stay focused on whatever it is you need to accomplish on your to-do list.
Make a plan for what you want to cover and accomplish, and make sure that you stick to that plan. Block out time in your evening that’s just for studying and nothing else.
9. Listen to Classical Music
Studying at night can be challenging because you’re battle exhaustion and mental fatigue. But listening to classical music may help you stay focused and regain that mental energy you need to get through your session.
Studies have found that listening to classical music can help your brain absorb and retain information more easily. Music can engage your brain in a way that helps you pay more attention and make sense of the material that you’re learning.
Another study found that classical music helped older adults perform better on processing and memory tasks.
So, crank up some Bach and hit the books to improve your focus and the outcome of your study sessions.
10. Make Sure Your Study Spot is a Clean Space
Here’s a quick way to help improve your focus while studying at night – clean things up.
Research has found that clutter and disorganization can drain your brain’s cognitive resources. You’re studying at night when your brain is already tired, so it’s even more important for your space to be clean and tidy.
Clutter is a visual distraction that can lead to cognitive overload and hinder your memory. So, take the time to clean your space before studying to keep your brain in the game.
11. Take a Mental Break
It’s tempting to push yourself to study longer and harder, especially if you’re studying at night and just want to get it done.
But taking regular breaks is important for focusing and retaining the information you’re studying. Schedule in a 5-minute break here and there, or better yet, take a 15-minute break if you’re studying for a long period of time.
Research has found that taking at least a 5-minute break will give your brain a chance to refresh and increase your focus.
How To Stay Focused in College
Study time is even more important in college when your future and career are on the line. But how do you stay focused when you have so many other things going on? Here are some tips.
12. Get Regular Exercise
Make exercise a priority if you want to stay focused during your study sessions. Research shows that short bursts of physical activity can help improve concentration for up to one hour.
Staying active throughout the day can help you stay on track during your study sessions. Try hitting the gym or going for a walk or run before you sit down to study.
13. Get Plenty of Hours of Sleep
Sleep? When you’re in college? Who has time for it?
I know it’s hard to make sleep a priority in college, but it should be one. It’s difficult or impossible to stay focused when you’re dead tired. Concentration goes out the window. Sleep deprivation can severely impair your ability to stay focused, so do yourself a favor and get plenty of shut-eye if you plan to study.
15. Use White Noise to Block Out Distractions
Finding time to study is hard enough. It’s even harder to stay focused if you’re studying in a noisy dorm room or another loud place.
If you can’t find a quiet place to study, grab your earbuds and listen to some white noise. White noise can block out background noise, making it much easier to focus on the task ahead.
Final Thoughts
These tips will help you learn how to stay focused while studying, whether you have an upcoming exam, are learning a new language or are in college. With practice and consistency, you’ll find it much easier to stay on track during future study sessions.
Adults are meditating more. In fact, a 2017 survey found that the number of adults that meditated in a previous 12-month period rose from 4.1% in 2012 to over 14.2% in 2017. If you want to start on your own path to mindful living but can’t seem to find the motivation, the benefits of group meditation may help.
Why?
The science behind meditation is promising and you don’t need to spend a dime. You can meditate with friends, family or, if you wish, you can also go to an official meditation group in your area that will cost money.
But today, we’ll outline why group meditation may be good for you (it’s definitely not for everyone). However, if the practice of meditation is something you’re interested in but you can’t seem to fit it into your daily rituals, regular practice in a group setting will definitely help.
7 Benefits of Group Meditation
1. Group Meditation Keeps You Motivated
A lot of people practice mindfulness and meditation on their own. For me, personally, I prefer to meditate outside of a group setting. I find groups make me feel self-conscious, and then I rely too much on the group.
However, studies on doing activities in groups indicate that a group setting can lead to:
Intrinsic motivation
Greater consistency
Enhanced social skills
Boosted engagement
Stanford conducted a study on motivation, which shows how group exercises work well. Many of these will translate to group meditation benefits, although the study was not based on meditation.
Note: Group meditation may or may not be for you. If you find that you’re 100% reliant on the group and if the group disbanded you wouldn’t meditate on your own, this can be detrimental to your practice. For example, many people do this with the gym. They’ll find a partner, stay motivated and never go when their partner isn’t there. Don’t become too reliant on one person as the reason for attending a mindfulness meditation group.
2. Meet Like-minded Friends
Socialization is another reason to join in group activities. If you want to expand your friend circle or get to know like-minded people in your area, group meditation may be a good option for you.
However, there are a few points to remember here:
Don’t try talking to anyone in the middle of the class
Get to the meditation early if you want to mingle
Be mindful that some people may not be there to socialize
Finally, we’re going to go deeper into the benefits of group meditation to see how meditation can help your emotional and physical health.
3. Reduce Stress Levels
Stress is a part of life. Right? If you’re alive, there’s always some sort of stress each week. Perhaps you’re stressed about work, money, relationships, or someone being sick – there are many reasons to be stressed.
However, did you know that meditation reduces stress?
In fact, a mindfulness-based meta-analysis of 209 studies found that meditation can help improve quality of life by significantly reducing:
Stress
Anxiety
Depression
With that said, don’t expect to experience this benefit immediately during your first group session unless you know how to meditate properly. Often, you’ll meditate for the first time and fall asleep, or you may start worrying about your focus, which is jumping to everything from what you’re going to eat for dinner to work.
If you want to reduce your stress by meditating, be sure to give it multiple sessions.
You won’t instantly feel the weight of the world lift off of your shoulders after a single group meditation. But, over time and with weekly or daily meditation practice, your stress levels will eventually fall.
4. Lower Your Blood Pressure
One of the main benefits of meditation is reducing blood pressure. You can achieve this through multiple meditation styles, but mindfulness meditation works exceptionally well for lowering blood pressure.
2012 review found that in people with high blood pressure, meditation could reduce both SBP and DBP.
2019 study involving 2 hours of meditation each week for eight weeks found that participants who meditated had lower DBP, resting BP and SBP levels.
We’re not saying that you’ll avoid heart disease or a heart attack by meditating, but you can reduce your blood pressure and stress.
In fact, if you read through the studies linked above (please do, they’re great resources), you’ll find that there are small or modest reductions that researchers state are meaningful.
5. Learn How to Meditate With a Leader
If you’re just learning, join a class that is being taught by a meditation expert. Many classes are thrown together by friends or someone that likes the aspects of meditation but isn’t an expert.
And there is nothing wrong with these classes and they are many people’s first meditation experience.
However, if you’ve never taken meditation courses before or need a little extra guidance, a group meditation class guided by an expert is ideal.
If you have trouble staying focused at work or in your general life, meditation can help. Oftentimes, people meditate to:
Relieve stress
Blast away anxiety
Clear their mind
And when you’re not stressed or anxious, you’ll be more productive. However, you may want to try transcendental meditation if you want to be more productive. Studies show that this form of meditation works well for productivity and also helps people relieve job tension and anxiety.
One thing to note is that regular meditation is key to enhancing your productivity.
Don’t expect your productivity to soar after one or two meditation sessions.
7. Blast Away Anxiety
Do you have anxiety? If so, you’re not alone. 40 million people in the US alone have anxiety. Meditation has been thoroughly studied for its impact on anxiety.
A 2010 meta-analysis of 39 studies found that mindfulness meditation provided moderate anxiety relief in people that didn’t have mood disorders. However, individuals who entered the studies with mood or anxiety disorders experienced a much higher rate of anxiety reduction.
If you have general anxiety disorder (GAD), this 2013 study is what you want to read. Researchers found that in people with GAD, anxiety levels fell after meditating. Stress levels also fell after meditating for this group.
What About Online Group Meditation Benefits?
Online group meditation also offers the same benefits. In fact, if you can’t find the time to join a group near you, don’t want to deal with the traffic or simply rather try meditating online, you should.
A few of the great benefits of an online meditation group are:
Many groups are free
Join groups from leaders worldwide
Classes at varying times of the day and night
No need to drive or deal with traffic
And, you’ll also experience the same great group meditation benefits listed above from the comfort of your own home. That’s the magic of meditation: you can meditate wherever you are in the world.
If you want to experience the benefits of group meditation, join a local class, lead a group meditation class yourself or attend one online. And if you have friends interested in joining a meditation session, start your own group among friends.
Together, you’ll experience the effects of meditation while strengthening your friend circle in the process.
PS: Group meditation is just one method of meditation. You can find dozens of different forms to practice, including two which we recently wrote about: mantra meditation and candle meditation.
Having trouble mastering meditation? You’re not alone. Sitting quietly with your thoughts isn’t easy. But mantra meditation can make it easier to get into that calm, still state while helping you be more positive.
For those of you who don’t know, mantra meditation is the practice of repeating a word or phrase and focusing all of your attention on it. All of that repetition and hyper-focus can help shut down those wandering thoughts.
Mantras are part of Hindu and Buddhist traditions, but mantra meditation doesn’t have to be a religious or spiritual practice. It can simply be a way to improve your well-being and wellness.
Mantra meditation is different from mindfulness meditation, but the benefits are similar.
7 Benefits of Mantra Meditation
1. Increased Focus
Like other forms of meditation, mantra meditation can improve your focus. In fact, the entire practice is all about focusing on a word or phrase (your mantra).
Each time your mind wanders, you bring your attention back to the mantra. Over time and with practice, it becomes easier to stay focused on the mantra. Essentially, you’re strengthening your focus muscle every time you practice.
2. A Calmer, Clearer Mind
A mantra meditation practice can help you achieve a clear, calm mind. In fact, there is some evidence that it may even help improve your brain health.
In one study, people with memory problems practiced a type of kundalini meditation involving chanting. After eight weeks of practice, participants saw an improvement in cognitive function and cerebral blood flow, which may help:
Reduce anxiety
Boost your mood
Give you energy
Improve memory
Give you peace of mind
Research from 2017 may explain why mantras have these psychological benefits. Mantra repetition synchronizes the left and right sides of the brain, which helps produce relaxing alpha brain waves.
Other research shows that repetition of a word or phrase can quiet the mind and prevent it from wandering. Likewise, mantras can keep you grounded and keep you from worrying about the past or future.
3. Improved Breath Control
Meditation, in general, can help improve your breath control, but mantra-based meditation has a slight edge. Chanting a mantra creates a rhythm, and your breath naturally follows that rhythm.
It takes a focused effort to synch your breath with your mantra. But, over time, your practice can help you better control your breath.
All of that slow, controlled breathing will also help you feel more relaxed.
4. Less Stress
In general, taking time out to relax and sit quietly can help reduce physical stress. Meditation takes this one step further by helping you stay in the present moment. When you’re not thinking about past or future stress, you can enjoy the moment.
How effective is mantra meditation at reducing physical stress?
In one study, HIV patients practiced transcendental meditation, a type of mantra meditation. Their daily meditation practice helped reduce intrusive thoughts while improving their quality of life.
With daily practice, this type of meditation can give you peace of mind while helping reduce psychological stress and chronic stress.
5. Positive Outlook and Emotions
Mantras are powerful things. Repeat them daily, and you can actually change your mindset. Practice it in group meditation and everyone will feel the positive energies you’re putting out there.
We are the stories that we tell ourselves. Each time you recite a mantra in your daily life, you’re rewriting your story. You’re replacing negative thoughts with positive ones. Mantras can be so effective at changing your outlook that therapists and wellness coaches use them themselves.
Let’s say that you’re feeling anxious today. During your mantra meditation session, you may focus on effective mantras for anxiety, like:
This too shall pass
I am strong
All is well
I am loved
I am safe
Each time you repeat your mantra, whether it’s out loud or in your mind, you are changing your thought pattern and can change your outlook for the day.
There are many ways to use this effect to your advantage. For example, adopting a daily morning mantra meditation can help you start your day with a positive outlook and productive mindset.
6. Improved Communication Skills
Mantra and even mindfulness meditation aren’t usually associated with communication skills, but they can indirectly help you express yourself more clearly and with care.
Daily meditation practice can help you maintain a calm mind and perceive the world around you without judgment. It’s not as easy to get riled up by disagreements, confrontations and unexpected life changes.
When you approach problems without judgment and with a clear mind, you can communicate more clearly and effectively.
