Muscle relaxation: what it is for and how to do it

Gunjan thakurMarch 5, 2022

There are benefits to muscle relaxation that apply not only to the playground but also to the relaxation of the muscles. It’s about maintaining balance and preventing stress and anxiety, or dealing with them if they occur.

To do this, it is easy to be clear about what it is and find a useful technique according to personal circumstances and preferences. We review some of them below. Visit fitnessmeetsfrosting for more detail about fitness and workout.

What is muscle relaxation?

Technically, muscle relaxation is when a muscle contraction stops, so that the fibers return to their original position after the nerve endings have ceased.

Relaxation is the opposite of stress, and it not only affects the muscles. Stress, or tension, is when our body faces a challenge and is ready to work, creating a state of change.

So, combining the two approaches, relaxation involves relaxing the muscle tone and clearing your mind for complete relaxation. This is explained by the Neurona Academy, a center for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s and other dementias, which also reminds us that there are various techniques for relaxation.

Benefits of muscle relaxation

Neurona Academy reports on the benefits of muscle relaxation and invites you to apply techniques to achieve this. It helps to relax and promote sleep, promotes recovery after fatigue, prevents stress, and reduces blood and emotional stress. Therefore, it creates a sense of well-being and even helps to improve self-esteem.

Muscle relaxation is an ally in our daily lives as it promotes concentration, as well as enhances our ability to retain and retrieve information. That is the care of memories. This is one of the reasons why access and support organizations for Alzheimer’s patients and their families insist on its importance, as it also contributes to the good health of caregivers.

Types of muscle relaxants

It is easy to do muscle relaxation exercises when we have been feeling anxious or stressed for days. Also if we have trouble falling asleep or if we are going through a phase of loss or grief.

Below we review some natural muscle relaxation techniques, but they must be separated from medication. Muscle relaxants are medicines that treat muscle strain or pain or spasm, which is tightness or stiffness. They are often caused by muscle tension and can cause pain.

It will be a doctor who will prescribe the best muscle relaxant prescription according to the patient’s condition and condition, as the most powerful do not go away without a prescription.

Examples include Yurelax or Robaxisal.

As mentioned above, let’s take a look at some useful progressive muscle relaxation techniques that can help combat some of the symptoms of stress or anxiety. It is always advisable to see a specialist, regardless of the fact that these episodes occur frequently or last longer over time.

Progressive muscle relaxation

As explained by the Pasqual Maragall Foundation, which aims to promote and support scientific research on Alzheimer’s, this technique was developed in 1938 by the American Edmund Jacobson.

It affects tense and highly active muscles and aims to relax them. Although the proposal initially consisted of more than 60 exercises, today the procedure has been synthesized and shortened so that it can be applied in everyday life situations. We will explain this later.

Automatic rest

“Automatic” means “that which comes from within you.” This is a relaxing technique that uses visual imagery and physical awareness to reduce stress levels. Like others, it requires a lot of practice.

In this technique, we can include regular exercises such as recreating a calm and relaxed environment with the brain, focusing on the area, and practicing controlled breathing which slows down the heartbeat. It is also possible to focus on relaxing the individual limbs: arm, leg, etc.

Display

This technique suggests entertaining mental images through which the visual potential can be explored using as many senses as possible: smell, sight, hearing, and touch. It is advisable to sit and relax (loosen your clothes if you are tight), close your eyes, and concentrate on your breathing. With practice, intrusive thoughts that have nothing to do with our purpose are released.

For example, you can imagine walking along a riverbank. Imagine that you can smell the grass, that you can hear the roar of water coming down from the rocks in the background, and the sound of the leaves of the trees moving in the wind. Feel how those gusts of wind move your hair and how the sun’s rays hit you.

Take a deep breath

It is known because it is a simple technique to practice, so it can be ideal for a relaxed start. Like others, you should sit in a comfortable place and avoid feeling the normal pressure of clothing on the abdomen.

It’s about placing one hand on the chest and the other on the abdomen and breathing slowly and deeply, as long as possible. You should focus and watch your hands move up and down as your chest and abdomen fill with air before taking it out.

Massage

The massage consists of rhythmic pressing, rubbing, and hitting and the part of the body that is being worked on with the right intensity. It has different purposes, such as therapy or sports, and is usually performed by a professional who knows the proper technique to make it effective.

But in a moment of stress, it can be useful to know how to practice therapeutic self-massage, which will include various rubbing, rubbing, and kneading to relieve the accumulated stress.

Meditation

It is considered one of the most effective techniques because it trains the brain to adapt to a specific state of consciousness for a specific purpose. In this case, it’s about relaxing to let go of stress, tension, or fear.

Meditation is related to religion and spirituality so that followers of Buddhism, Hinduism or Christianity can practice it among others. To start practicing this, one suggestion is to focus on something that will help maintain the focus.

Tai Chi

Tai Chi, or tai chi, is a Chinese-born martial art based on the slow movement of the breath. It is also known as moving meditation, and it not only reduces stress and anxiety levels but also improves flexibility. In short, it improves body and mind balance.

Yoga

“Yoga” is a very broad concept because it involves not only asanas or exercises of body postures that work the body and mind. Proponents of her case have been working to make the actual transcript of this statement available online. It requires more practice to its full potential, but the benefits are such that it is gaining more and more followers.

Mastering one or more styles at different levels of yoga will not only help you cope with the stressful situation on the spot but will also help prevent it from happening. And that’s exactly what yoga is all about.

Biofeedback

This technique pursues the ambitious goal of learning to control certain bodily functions, for example, the heartbeat. Therefore, devices such as electrical sensors that provide information about your body are needed, as well as under expert supervision.

These range from heart rate to temperature, as well as brain waves, breathing, muscle contractions, and sweat glands. The therapist will attach sensors to different parts of the body, and alert you to beeps and lights to help you change and control the body’s response. It’s a non-aggressive technique, but it also requires practice (and money, because it’s guided by experts).

Music therapy or art therapy

Music therapy and art therapy involve the use of elements of the creative process (sound, rhythm, harmony, and melody in the case of music) to explore ideas and emotions. In this way, personal and interpersonal communication, learning, movement, and expression are facilitated to meet physical, emotional, mental, social, or cognitive needs.

Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is located within alternative medicine or complementary medicine. It contains aromatic plants and other natural ingredients such as flowers, seeds, fruits, and of course essential oils. It focuses on the sense of smell to instill humor, humor, and emotion.

Hydrotherapy

It is a healing method that focuses on the use of water as a healing factor for the treatment of certain diseases. This is done in space and is considered to be a technique as old as humanity because it was already used for various purposes in ancient Greece.

Some of the techniques discussed are not treatments focused on reducing stress, tension, or anxiety, but work long-term and help prevent them by finding a balance between physical and mental emotions.

Third: Peace of mind

After the transition phase, it is about drowning consciousness in a state of complete calm. Images are useful for this, such as walking along the river we were talking about or lying on the beach. The idea is to spend a few minutes focusing on the feelings that you have.

In short, muscle relaxation is a technique that aims to relax not only the muscles but also the brain. It aims to rediscover balance in situations of stress, anxiety, or fear, so learning one of the exposed methods can be very helpful on a daily basis. However, doing regular activities like tai chi or yoga, among others, will not only help in dealing with such situations but will also help in their prevention and well-being.