Anyone who lives in a stressful environment would benefit from learning about relaxation, in other words almost all of us. The harmful effects of stress have been widely demonstrated: nervousness, anxiety, muscle tension, fatigue, but also reduced concentration and immune defenses, cardiovascular diseases. the stress holds a sad third place in the heart attack risk factors, just after tobacco and cholesterol.
Obviously, the ideal would be to reduce stressful situations. But, unless you live on a desert island, it’s hard to escape him completely these days. It remains to learn how to manage it … This is the goal of all the techniques of relaxation. Their benefits are particularly noticeable in people who suffer from mental or psychosomatic ailments: anxiety, depression, insomnia, muscle disorders (musculoskeletal disorders, stuttering), joint, back or neck pain.
Are its benefits proven?
“It is the most widely used complementary medicine method, because it is the one whose benefits have been demonstrated the most,” says Dr Dominique Servant, psychiatrist in charge of the stress and anxiety consultation at Lille University Hospital. Studies have notably proven its contribution in chronic cardiac and respiratory disorders, as well as in pain.
For anxiety disorders of moderate intensity, it should even be prescribed as a first-line treatment. “In a recent report, did the High Authority for Health (HAS) not remind us that we consume too many psychotropic drugs and that non-drug methods should be encouraged?” Adds the doctor.
An English study, published in August 2008 in the British Medical Journal, demonstrated the effectiveness of the Alexander method in low back pain, from the sixth session. Likewise, people who have had depression or eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia) greatly reduce their risk of recurrence through mindful meditation, while relaxation therapy or yoga help relieve tinnitus.
Perseverance
All the methods of relaxation have their singularity, but also many points in common. Start with this one: to really pay off, they require regular training and repeating the exercises one to three times a day, especially at the beginning. For initiation, a weekly session with a coach is also recommended.
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