Mindfulness is a popular self-improvement activity that’s easy to learn and difficult to master. Millions of people are doing it.

• But why?
• What’s the payoff?
• What do you get from being mindful?
• Anything? Or is it a lot of work with no payoff? 

Absolutely not.

Mindfulness has many physical and mental benefits that can improve your life and even make your relationships better! Here are a few of the physical benefits of mindfulness.

Lowered Stress Levels

Let’s face it: stress kills. It impacts every system in the body and leads to diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. It can even cause heart attacks and strokes. There are physical markers in the body that can be used to measure stress levels, and they’ve all been shown to decrease in people who practise mindfulness regularly.

Better Glucose Regulation

Regulating your blood sugar, or glucose, levels, is an important component of physical health for everyone, not just those with diabetes. Mindfulness practice has been shown to improve glucose regulation in both diabetics and non-diabetics.

Improved Sleep

Sleep is another important aspect of health. It’s so important that many doctors consider it the root of most health issues. Practising mindfulness can improve both the quantity and quality of your sleep.

Reduction in GI Symptoms

Do you have chronic gastrointestinal issues? If so, you’re not alone; a significant portion of the population suffers from them. Studies have shown that regular mindfulness practice can improve a range of chronic GI problems, from IBS to Chron’s disease.

Chronic Illness Management

Chronic illnesses can’t be cured, so they must be managed. Many different options are available for people who suffer from these ailments to help manage them and regulate the symptoms.

While nothing works for everyone and every condition, practising mindfulness helps many chronic illness sufferers with a variety of conditions, from rheumatoid arthritis to psoriasis to fibromyalgia.

Chronic Pain Reduction

A huge number of people suffer from chronic pain. The causes are numerous and include injuries and autoimmune conditions. Managing chronic pain is difficult and complex. Mindfulness can be one component of a treatment plan and can help reduce chronic pain in some cases.

These are just a few of the physical benefits you can obtain from practising mindfulness. Believe it or not, there are many more! Developing a mindfulness practice is one of the best and least time-consuming methods of improving your physical health.