Relaxation is the process and the result of relaxing or relaxing . This verb, meanwhile, refers to mitigate, soften or loosen something. Muscular , on the other hand, is that associated with muscles (tissues that are made of contractile type fibers).
It is known as muscle relaxation to what happens when the contraction of a muscle ends. Thus, relaxation implies that the fibers return to their original place as a result of the end of a nerve impulse.
To understand this concept, you have to know how the muscle contraction process works. The muscles, from a stimulus , acquire a certain tension which leads them to stretch or shorten and results in the production of a motor force. There are also involuntary contractions (called reflexes ).
Muscle relaxation takes place at the end of the contraction. In this process, the tension is reduced until it disappears. This can be promoted through various exercises and even through the use of drugs (known as muscle relaxants ).
Muscle tension is also associated with mental tension : muscle relaxation exercises, therefore, not only increase physical well-being, but also help minimize anxiety and to reduce the stress .
One of the best known muscle relaxation methods is the one proposed in the decade of 1920 by Edmund Jacobson . This doctor held that the anxiety and muscle tension were linked. That is why he helped his patients so that they could relax their muscles voluntarily and thus reduce symptoms linked to anxiety, insomnia and other disorders.
The technique developed by Jacobson is known as progressive muscle relaxation , and he put it into practice with his own patients, whom he trained to treat anxiety, hypertension, insomnia and ulcer , all disorders against which it is effective to relax the muscles voluntarily. It should be noted that this technique is still popular today.
To carry out progressive muscle relaxation it is first necessary to sit in a comfortable chair or in an armchair, since the ideal is to leave the arms rested on a surface parallel to the ground. Another option is to lie on a bed, provided it offers more comfort than the chair. The legs, meanwhile, should not be crossed. Clothing is also important, as it is not advisable to leave your shoes on or wear tight clothing.
Once located in the desired posture, the first step is to breathe deeply a couple of times. Next, it begins with a series of well-defined exercises to tighten and relax specific muscle groups, to gradually take control of each zone and get it relaxed voluntarily .
Some of these exercises to achieve progressive muscle relaxation are the following:
* close your hands with force , tense them and then relax them. Then, open them and stretch your fingers, so they relax;
* tighten the biceps, shaking hands before and after to make sure we don't tense them too;
* move your shoulders back carefully and then let them return to their normal position;
* leaving your shoulders in a relaxed position, turn your head slowly to each side, trying to reach the limit to get the tension but being careful not to overdo it, and then return it to its original position;
* You can also lean your head forward, seeking to bring your chin to your chest as much as possible. The opposite (backward) movement is not recommended, but it is another possible exercise;
* open the eyes until reaching the limit and then relax the eyelids.
