10 proven ways to relax muscles and mind
If you're struggling to relax and wind down after a long day or a busy week, you're not alone.
According to a study by the American Psychological Association, 48% of people regularly lie awake at night because they are too stressed to sleep (1).
And if the causes of your mental stress are primarily pressure at work, money and health, then you're in good company, as these are among the top 10 causes of stress.
The bottom line is that millions of people could benefit from better strategies to combat stress in their lives. And the easiest way to do this is to learn to relax better.
If you can balance stress and relaxation well, you will improve every aspect of your life. You will be happier, more productive, more emotionally stable, healthier and able to carry much heavier loads with relative ease. In this article, I will share with you 10 easy, inexpensive and scientifically validated ways to relieve stress and relax. But first, let's talk about the relationship between stress and relaxation and why stress is not necessarily the enemy.
The importance of stress and relaxation
Most people see stress as something purely negative and believe that stress should be avoided at all costs.
However, this is not the reality.
Our bodies are designed to use the "fight or flight response" to deal with stress. In fact, scientific research shows that acute stress boosts immune function, which in turn speeds up the recovery process and increases resistance to infection (2, 3).
It's not far-fetched to say that regular bouts of stress are beneficial to overall health and well-being.
However, if you give your body too much of this stress medicine, that's when the problems start. Our bodies simply haven't learned to cope with chronic stress. We remain in a state of alert, age faster, become more susceptible to disease and experience increased levels of systemic inflammation (4, 5, 6).
The solution to the problem is not to avoid stress at all costs, but to learn to control it. And the key to controlling stress is to be effective and reliably relax.
Like stress, the effects of relaxation go deeper than most people think. Scientific research shows that relaxation has the power to influence genetic expression involved in inflammation, programmed cell death and the neutralization of free radicals (7).
It is not far-fetched to say that your overall quality of life and longevity will greatly depend on how well you are able to relax.
And that's why I want to share with you 10 scientifically validated ways to relieve stress and relax your muscles and mind. Use this list to put together a nightly relaxation routine and you'll sleep better, feel better and stay healthier.
Enjoy pleasant smells
Aromatherapy is a millennia-old way to reduce stress and promote relaxation that also has modern science on its side.
Scientific research shows that the smell of certain essential oils such as lavender, bergamot, chamomile and geranium can lower blood pressure, relieve anxiety and improve sleep quality (8).
The easiest way to incorporate this into your relaxation program is to use a vaporizer.
Get a massage or massage yourself
I probably don't need to refer to scientific research to convince you that getting a massage is a great way to relieve stress, but one rather interesting study even showed that massaging someone else can have similar effects (9).
Make a deal with your partner for mutual massages before bedtime and you'll get a lot of relaxation.
However, the benefits of massage don't stop there. Scientific research also shows that massages can relieve pain, anxiety and depression, as well as improve immune function (10, 11, 12, 13). It doesn't take much - just 10 to 15 minutes of massage is enough to reap these benefits.
Breathe deeply
One of the most basic and effective tools available to soldiers who need to remain calm and focused under fire is breathing control.
Shallow and rapid chest breathing is an indicator of stress and can increase stress, while deep abdominal breathing reduces stress and increases antioxidant activity (14).
The key to deep breathing is to breathe in slowly with your chest and belly relaxed (don't pull your belly in). You need to expand your chest and fill your entire lungs with oxygen with each breath.
Change your perception of stress
We know that high levels of stress are linked to impaired health, but there's an important detail here...
Scientific research shows that our perception of stress as something harmful is what gives stress its power. It may well get to the point where stressing about stress is what makes stress harmful (15).
Studies show that we can consciously re-evaluate stressful situations - by choosing to look at them differently - and thereby take away their destructive power (16).
A frustrating situation doesn't have to be an excuse to pull your hair out. Instead, it can be seen as an opportunity to practice a virtue such as patience or tolerance. Remember that a setback is always an opportunity to learn what doesn't work. And a painful situation can show you that you are tougher than you thought. (Incidentally, this strategy is anything but new. Marcus Aurelius used it almost two thousand years ago).
Remember that re-evaluation is not everything.
Some problems will not disappear if you think about them differently. These problems require action.
Are you buried under debt? Then start paying off your debts. Are deadlines looming? Then start working. Have you been neglecting your partner? Then treat yourself to a weekend together.
There's more you can do to cope with stress.
Don't let little things get you down
Some people get so worked up over every insignificant little thing that you'd swear they're addicted to stress. Is it really necessary to go to DEFCON 1 if the coffee at Starbucks wasn't made perfectly to your liking or someone cuts you off in the driveway?
You may not be able to control the urge to freak out, but you don't have to give in to it. You can consciously choose to accept things without exploding.
Use logic to defuse stressful situations
The problem with stressors is that they bypass our critical filters with ease and take control. Before we know what's happening, we hyperventilate over something completely unlikely or something with relatively harmless consequences.
Before you allow anything to stress you out, pause for a moment and ask yourself if the likelihood of it negatively impacting your life justifies the reaction. Often this alone will be enough to defuse the situation.
Don't tell yourself that you are so stressed
Don't underestimate your ability to build yourself up or bring yourself down.
Say that you are stressed and you can be sure that you will feel that way. You are giving up control of your emotions and often your actions.
Choose to look at the situation differently - as an opportunity to grow, learn or simply toughen up - and rob stress of the only real power it has: the power you give it.
Spend more time helping others
Some of the most stressed people I know are also the most selfish a...holes you can imagine.
Those are harsh words, but they are true. If being a good person isn't enough motivation for you to help others, you might be interested to know that scientific research shows that people who help their friends and family are immunized to some degree against the harmful effects of stress (17).
Avoid screens before bedtime
Getting enough quality sleep is an important factor when it comes to coping with stress and maintaining your health - and constantly staring at your phone, iPad or TV is a great way to ruin your sleep hygiene.
Scientific research shows that too much light in the evening suppresses the body's melatonin production (18). Melatonin is a hormone that induces sleepiness, so suppressing melatonin production in the evening will not only make it harder for you to fall asleep, but will also reduce your sleep quality (19).
However, suppressing melatonin production does more than simply ruin your sleep - it has also been shown to impair immune function and increase the risk of cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart disease (20, 21).
With such serious consequences, you simply can't afford to habitually suppress melatonin production.
Of course, completely eliminating all light sources after sunset isn't really feasible, and fortunately it's not necessary.
For one thing, studies show that the suppressive effects on melatonin production depend on light intensity. The more intense the light, the more melatonin production is suppressed (22).
A good rule of thumb is therefore to reduce light as much as possible and to sleep in complete darkness if possible.
On the other hand, scientific studies also show that short-wave blue light emitted by TV screens, computer screens and smartphones is particularly effective in suppressing melatonin production.
Thus, reducing or completely eliminating this blue light in the evening is an effective way to maintain healthy melatonin production.
How can you achieve this?
Eliminating all electronic devices after sunset is something that probably won't happen. And again, fortunately, this is not necessary.
Many devices and operating systems have settings that adjust the colors of the screen to the time of day and eliminate blue light in the evening. There are also corresponding apps. This is a good start, but what about other light sources such as televisions?
Scientific research shows that glasses with amber-colored lenses are well suited for this purpose and result in an improvement in mood and sleep (24). This may sound a little strange, but these types of glasses are extremely effective when it comes to blocking blue light and maintaining melatonin production.
Control your technology addiction
Constantly staring at screens can mess with your melatonin production - and staring at them for too long can mess with your mind in general.
Scientific research shows that the more attached people feel to their computers and cell phones, the more stressed they feel. Overuse of technology has even been linked to various symptoms of poor mental health such as depression (25).
Here is a brief summary of the study findings:
- People who used their cell phones the most complained more often about sleep disturbances and depression.
- People who were constantly reachable by cell phone were most likely to experience mental health problems.
- People who regularly used their computer late in the evening were more likely to suffer from sleep problems, stress and depression.
- This relationship became stronger when computer and cell phone use were combined.
- Frequent computer use without breaks increases the likelihood of stress, sleep problems and depression.
Listen to classical music
Next time you're stressed, you might want to listen to some slow, calm classical music to benefit from its soothing effects.
However, Mozart can do much more than help you relax. Scientific research shows that classical music sharpens the mind, lowers blood pressure, reduces physical pain and depression and can help you sleep better (26, 27, 28, 29, 30).
Drink green tea
Tea has many health benefits and one of them is that it can relieve stress. A large-scale Japanese study of 42,093 subjects found that regular consumption of green tea was associated with lower levels of psychological stress (31).
Scientists believe that the primary mechanism is based on the high doses of L-theanine and ascorbic acid, both of which are effective in reducing stress (32, 33).
Go for a walk in the park
If you look at the daily routines of many of history's greatest thinkers and inventors, you'll quickly notice how many of them took long walks in the great outdoors.
Beethoven, for example, spent his afternoons walking in the woods around Vienna and found his greatest inspirations while out walking. Tchaikovsky was convinced of his twice-daily walks, which he believed were essential for his health and creativity.
And scientific research shows that we're on to something here: just 25 minutes of walking in a park is enough to reduce frustration and improve mood (34).
Take a hot bath
Hot baths have been used for thousands of years to relieve pain, aid relaxation and treat and prevent illness.
Modern scientific research has confirmed some of what our ancestors already knew: regular hot baths are healthy and promote regeneration (35).
And regular baths can be made even more relaxing by adding essential oils.
How will you use these ways to relax?
Your relaxation toolbox is now full of new goodies. All you have to do is use them.
Use strategies such as deep breathing and mental re-evaluation to defuse stressful situations. Use strategies like going for a walk and drinking tea to keep your calm. And use strategies like hot baths, classical music and essential oils to help you calm down at night and sleep like a baby.
References:
- http://www.statisticbrain.com/stress-statistics/
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19571591
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19952239
- http://www.pnas.org/content/101/49/17312.short
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16298085
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11844945
- http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0002576
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3092730/
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22946452
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21727288
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8884390
- http://www.researchgate.net/publication/232506889_Massage_therapy_effects_on_depression_and_somatic_symptoms_in_chronic_fatigue_syndrome
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20809811
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19875429
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22201278
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2105884
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23327269
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21552190
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21193540
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18540832
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20536686
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2915324
- http://www.jneurosci.org/content/21/16/6405.long
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20030543
- http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/11/66
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1281386/
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15296685
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16722953
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7963281
- http://link.springer.com/article/10.1023%2FA%3A1005542121935
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19793850
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16930802
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11862365
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23467965
- http://www.apnewsarchive.com/1993/Study-Hot-tubbing-OK-for-Some-Heart-Patients/id-58bce7b4ff501d192eee66a343aae7bb
By Michale Matthews