What Is the Relaxation Response?
It's one name for what happens when your parasympathetic nervous system is in charge of your body functions. This part of your nervous system regulates the work of your organs and glands while you're at rest. Your relaxation response kicks in when you feel safe. It can actually block effects from your body's response to stress. These changes are good for your mental and physical health.
Your Heart Rate Slows
Stress triggers activity in your sympathetic nervous system, which is in charge of your body functions in dangerous situations. This "fight or flight" response sends out hormones called catecholamines to speed up your heart. But relaxation lets your body know it’s OK to save energy. Your parasympathetic system takes over and releases a hormone called acetylcholine. That slows your heart rate down.
Your Blood Pressure Goes Down
Stress hormones can speed up your heart rate and tighten your blood vessels. That temporarily raises your blood pressure. The opposite happens when you relax. If you have high blood pressure, relaxation methods like meditation may help you manage stress and lower your chances of heart disease. (But don’t stop taking your medicine unless your doctor says it’s OK.)
Your Digestion Gets Better
When stress causes the "fight or flight" reaction, your digestion gets put on hold as blood moves toward your larger muscles. Relaxation reverses this process. It also lowers inflammation that can hurt your gut. Stress plays a role in many digestive problems, like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Calming techniques like deep breathing or meditation might help with your symptoms
Your Breathing Slows Down
"Take a deep breath," you might tell someone who's in a panic. There's a good reason for that. When you're stressed, breathing speeds up. Breathing too fast may lead to low levels of carbon dioxide in your blood, which could make you dizzy and weak. But relaxation slows your breathing rate. You can also help yourself relax with slow, controlled breathing, around 6 breaths a minute.
Your Muscles Relax
Your body stiffens when you feel threatened, whether from a bear in the woods or a deadline at work. Usually, muscle tension eases when you calm down. But long-lasting stress can lead to tense muscles nearly all the time. If you have a hard time relaxing, ask your doctor about biofeedback. It uses sensors to give you feedback about your body’s functions. That helps you learn how to release muscle tension.
You Hurt Less
Relaxation doesn’t get rid of your aches, but it can turn down the volume a little. Relaxed muscles hurt less. And relaxation prompts your brain to release endorphins, chemicals that act as natural painkillers. Studies show relaxation techniques like meditation can lessen pain from conditions like fibromyalgia, migraine, chronic pelvic pain, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
You Have Better Blood Sugar Control
Stress hormones can make your blood sugar rise. And if you have diabetes, the effort it takes to manage your condition may amp up your stress. Relaxation can help you get a handle on your blood sugar (though it can't take the place of medicine). To get there, exercise regularly and get enough sleep. Try relaxation practices like meditation or yoga to help you mellow out further.
Your Immune System Works Better
Long-lasting stress makes it harder for your body to fight off infections. But deep relaxation can help your immune system recover. You can get there with the help of techniques like progressive muscle relaxation. That's where you tense, then relax, each muscle group one by one. It’s even more important to manage your worries as you age. Your immune function naturally declines over time.
You Sleep Better
Sometimes, you might be unable to doze off even when you’re worn out. This "tired but wired" state is a sign you're still in "fight or flight" mode. Relaxation techniques like deep breathing can help switch on your relaxation response. They’re sometimes used as a treatment for insomnia.
How Can You Relax?
Some people unwind while they garden, cook, or read. Others pray or meditate. Or you can explore techniques like:
• Visual imagery
• Progressive muscle relaxation
• Massage
• Deep breathing
• Biofeedback
If you’re not sure how to get started, ask your doctor to refer you to a specialist who teaches relaxation training.
Try the Benson Method
This technique was created by Herbert Benson, MD, the heart doctor who first described the relaxation response. Here’s what you do:
• Sit down, making sure you’re comfortable.
• Close your eyes.
• Gradually relax all of your muscles, starting at your feet and working your way up.
• Breathe through your nose.
• Pay attention to your breath.
Do this for about 20 minutes. Then sit with your eyes closed for a few minutes.
SOURCES:
- Global Advances in Health and Medicine: "A Perspective on the Similarities and Differences Between Mindfulness and Relaxation."
- UC Davis Health: "Heart Rate."
- American Heart Association: "Managing Stress to Control High Blood Pressure," "Meditation to Boost Health and Well-Being."
- Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine: "Specific Transcriptome Changes Associated with Blood Pressure Reduction in Hypertensive Patients After Relaxation Response Training."
- Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences: "Mindfulness meditation-based pain relief: a mechanistic account."
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NIH): "Relaxation Techniques for Health."
- JAMA: "Effect of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction vs Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or Usual Care on Back Pain and Functional Limitations in Adults With Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Trial."
- Loyola University Medical Center: "How Breathing Exercises Relieve Stress and Improve Digestive Health," "How Your Brain and Emotions Control Your Gut."
- International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders: "Relaxation Techniques to Manage IBS Symptoms."
- Johns Hopkins Medicine: "Hyperventilation."
- Frontiers in Human Neuroscience: "How Breath-Control Can Change Your Life: A Systematic Review on Psycho-Physiological Correlates of Slow Breathing."
- American Psychological Association: "Stress Effects on the Body," "The power of the relaxation response."
- American Migraine Foundation: "Biofeedback and Relaxation Training for Headaches.”
- American Diabetes Association: "Diabetes and Stress."
- International Journal of Yoga: "Effect of 6 Months of Meditation on Blood Sugar, Glycosylated Hemoglobin, and Insulin Levels in Patients of Coronary Artery Disease."
- Diabetes Care: "Stress Management Improves Long-Term Glycemic Control in Type 2 Diabetes.
- Iranian Journal of Diabetes and Obesity: "The Effect of Relaxation on Blood Sugar and Blood Pressure Changes of Women with Gestational Diabetes: a Randomized Control Trial."
- Cleveland Clinic: "What Happens When Your Immune System Gets Stressed Out?”
- BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies: "A relaxation technique enhances psychological well-being and immune parameters in elderly people from a nursing home: A randomized controlled study."
- Frontiers in Immunology: "Immunosenescence and Its Hallmarks: How to Oppose Aging Strategically? A Review of Potential Options for Therapeutic Intervention."
- Frontiers in Psychiatry: "Self-Regulation of Breathing as an Adjunctive Treatment of Insomnia."
- Mayo Clinic: "Biofeedback."
- Medicine: "The effect of Benson relaxation method on anxiety in the emergency care."
- National Institutes of Health: "Relaxation Techniques for Health."
- Cleveland Clinic: "IBS: What Your Brain Has to Do With It."
- Computational and Mathematical Methods in Medicine: "Cardiorespiratory Dynamic Response to Mental Stress: A Multivariate Time-Frequency Analysis.:
- CDC: "Type 2 Diabetes."
- American Psychological Association: "Taking control of your diabetes."
Important Notice: This article was originally published at www.webmd.com by Keri Wiginton where all credits are due. Medically reviewed by Poonam Sachdev, MD.
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