In Psychology, relaxation is the state of mind of a living being, of low tension, where there is an absence of stimulation that could come from sources like anxiety, anger, or fear. Relaxation can also define as the states where the mind and body are free from anxiety and tension [1]. Research has revealed that relaxation provides several health benefits, which includes;
1. Decreasing excess arousal produced by anxiety
A person when feeling anxious can spend a significant amount of time absorbed in anxiety-provoking thoughts that make it difficult to relax [2]. However, there are relaxation techniques that work on release muscle tension and guides on how to bring our attention back to the present moment and unhook from thoughts that may be unhelpful. They include;
• progressive muscle relaxation
• Abdominal breathing.
• Isometric relaxation exercises.
Hyperventilation being a physical syndrome of anxiety, it will be helpful for a person suffering from anxiety to learn how to breathe from their diaphragm, rather than their chest, to safeguard themselves against hyperventilation [2]. This is achievable through Abdominal breathing.
2. Managing insomnia
Regular relaxation helps in decreasing muscles tension, lowering blood pressure and slow your heart rate. Which helps manage fatigue as it promotes good sleeping patterns, increases benefit from rest periods during the day [3].
3. Management of stress
Relaxation protects against the adverse physiological responses to stress [3] by;
• Slowing heart rate
• Lowering blood pressure
• Slowing your breathing rate
• Improving digestion
• Maintaining normal blood sugar levels
• Reducing stress hormones (Cortisol) activities.
4. Chronic pain and pain tolerance
Relaxation calms the mind and recharges the body. This is especially important for individuals living with pain. Pain increases your muscle tension which in return, creates more pain [4]. When muscles are tense, they tighten and increase pressure on our nerves and other tissues and consequently to our pain sites, which can make the pain worst [4].
A relaxation method that helps in relieving such tension is the progressive muscle relaxation technique. In progressive muscle relaxation, you work on your muscle groups in a certain order to make them physically relaxed. By contracting a group of muscles as you breathe in, and relaxing them as you breathe out.
Relaxation techniques will not cure your chronic pain but help you get it under control [5]. This allows the mind to become calm and to focus somewhere else. In other words, it becomes distracted from pain sensations (pain tolerance) [5].
5. Improving concentration and mood
When we relax, the blood flow around our body increases giving us more energy which in turn helps us to have a clearer and calmer mind, aiding in positive thinking, memory, concentration and decision-making [6]. In short, relaxation is useful both in improving mood and helping people keep focused on their thoughts and behaviours.
6. Blood flow to major organs
Studies have shown that short-term relaxation is correlated with an increase in blood circulation in the brain and other muscles [3,7]. When your body is in good condition, your circulatory system works effectively, bringing a sufficient amount of blood to your major organs with minimal effort [7].
Reference
- https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/relaxation.
2. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/anxiety-treatment-options
