Meditating for 12 Minutes Each Day Cuts Your Dementia Risk, Study Says - Best Life

In fact, research has found that doing this one activity for just 12 minutes a day can slash your risk of dementia or Alzheimer's disease way down.

In a study that was published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease in 2018, a team of scientists examined 60 older adults who had previously reported trouble with their memory during a 12 week period.

Researchers then split the them into two groups, where they were instructed to either listen to music for 12 minutes or practice a 12-minute yoga meditation known as Kirtan Kriya daily.

Results showed that those who practiced meditation saw major changes in the biological markers that would put them at a higher risk for Alzheimer's disease by the end of the study, with the same participants reporting improvements in cognitive function, sleep, mood, and quality of life.

This wasn't the first time a link between daily Kirtan Kriya practice and Alzheimer's risk has been made.

A 2015 review of research published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease discussed a study in which 37 caregivers of family members who have dementia were placed on similar regimens, with one control group listening to relaxing music for 12 minutes daily and the other meditating for 12 minutes.

Other studies highlighted in the review have found that meditation could help combat other symptoms that increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, including reducing inflammation that is correlated to artery disease.