Exercises to relax
Sometimes you don’t have a moment of rest. You lack time and attention. Stress! And then you can’t fall asleep in bed at night. You toss, grind and do your best. And so that doesn’t work. Fortunately, relaxation exercises do.
Whether it’s because of crowds or a fundamental sleeping problem: not being able to sleep is annoying. Too little sleep has a major impact on life. Your mood suffers, but you also perform less well. A lack of sleep also makes you susceptible to diseases.
Relaxation exercises are a way to relax better and fall asleep faster. You can do this in peace in the bedroom. Or, for example, during a break at work.
Relaxation exercise in ten steps:
· Lie comfortably on your back.
· Close your eyes.
· Concentrate on your breathing.
· Breathe in deeply through the nose for a few seconds.
· Feel your belly rise.
· Hold the breath for a few seconds.
· Exhale slowly through the mouth.
· Try to feel how your body becomes more relaxed with each exhalation.
· Try to consciously consider each muscle group one by one: as you exhale, feel how your shoulders relax, how your arms relax, how your legs relax, and so on.
· For an extra soothing effect, imagine that you are lying on a warm beach. The sun warms your skin. A gentle breeze blows against your cheek. You can hear the waves rushing.
Optionally, you can record a text with the last three steps and play it over and over again. Then all you need to do is concentrate on the exercise.
Effort and relax
In addition to the exercises mentioned above, it can be nice to do muscle tension exercises. These take the tension off the muscles by tightening them correctly. Lie comfortably and contract one muscle group at a time. Pull your feet up and feel your calf tighten. And relax. Stretch out your legs and feel the muscles in your thighs and back of the knees tense. And relax. Pull in your buttocks. And relax again. Ball your hands into a fist and relax. Go through all the muscles in this way and notice how relaxed your body feels afterwards. And so how tense your muscles used to be!
What happens during these exercises? For starters, your brain relaxes. During relaxation, the brain waves change from active beta waves to calm, regular alpha waves. Just before you fall asleep, the brain produces these same alpha waves. Your heart rate drops by 5 to 10 beats per minute and your blood pressure drops. Also breathing becomes slower and deeper. In this way you will become rosy over time and you may even doze off during the relaxation exercises.
A remedy for many ailments
Since the 1920s, relaxation training, including breathing and muscle tension exercises, has been a psychological treatment method. People who suffer from insomnia benefit from the training, as do patients with anxiety disorders and stutterers.
You can also buy relaxation music in health and natural stores. Try to do the exercises for one to two weeks for good results. If you don’t notice any change, or if you are still worried, don’t hesitate to see your doctor.
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