As a dog or cat owner, you must have seen your beloved pet waking from a nap, stretching a little bit, followed by a yawn. Although they may go back to sleep, that stretch is important for muscles health and blood flow.
Just like our beloved pets, stretching is important too for our health. We stretch impulsively right after sleep or after sitting for too long. Stretching has a positive impact on our workout gains and can increase blood flow. Apart from physical benefits, stretching can positively influence our emotional state.
Understanding the connections between the mind and body stretching reduces the pressure between chronic physical pain and mental stability. Many people believe that stretching is only necessary while going for a run, sporting activities, and physical fitness.
However, daily stretching has been linked with a high range of motion and muscles flexibility. It has also been shown to reduce stress and anxiety and other benefits. Muscles often become shorter and weak when we don’t stretch, reducing the range of motion and flexibility.
Our daily activities, such as driving, sitting, or watching, can also cause muscle tightness and chronic pain. And that’s where stretching comes in.
Why is stretching important to your mental health?
Stretching is important to your mental health because it can help you cope with stress, anxiety, depression, and other emotional challenges. It also helps with the release of endorphins, which are natural chemicals that make you feel good and improve your self-esteem and confidence.
Types of Stretching
Static
Static stretching is what you’ll always imagine when it comes to stretching. It is a type of active and passive stretching where the position is held for 30-60 seconds. This lengthens the muscles and their connective tissues.
Dynamic
Dynamic is a form of active stretching that engages the muscle’s antagonist through the joint range of motion. The stretch is held shortly, allowing the muscles to lengthen without reducing the muscle tension or excitability.
Ballistic
This is perhaps the most contentious type of stretching. It utilizes muscle activation through quick movements. This increases the muscle range of motion and inhibits the reflex stretch of the body.
Mental benefits
When we stretch, our bodies release endorphins. These chemicals interact with brain receptors to reduce pain perception. Additionally, endorphins trigger a sense of positivity in the body.
Stretching is one of the easiest ways to integrate movement and stress relievers into your life. The good thing about stretching is that it doesn’t take long, and you can do it anywhere. The following are mental benefits of stretching:
Helps you relax
For many folks, stretching is good. And what makes us feel good – be it eating, bathing, or stretching – can help us fight chronic pain and bring calmness. Stretching works well for mental health, especially when paired with deep breathing. We always let go of stressors in our lives whenever we release a deep breath.
It is a self-care
Stretching is considered an act of self-care. Stretching provides a sense of release, helping you feel connected to your body. Additionally, it serves as a reminder that you took your time to do something stimulating to your life. It ends your fitness in a positive tone.
Ending your workout with a tough sprint down the block may not give you a pleasant impression of your workout session. On the other hand, gentle stretches can help you end your exercise on a happier note.
Additionally, these gentle stretches generate some positive attitudes towards the workout in general, encouraging you to do it again.
Refocuses your awareness to present
We often worry about our mistakes or what should be done. Refocusing yourself pulls back your mind to the present moment and prepares you for what’s happening.
Overall mental health
Scientists have come up with some ideas about how stretching promotes the brain’s overall health. It seems not to have much to do with muscle strength and cardiovascular. Stretching is likely to buff up the brain and the body. Stretching triggers the release of important proteins that promote the growth of new brain cells.
Some studies show that people with depression lack these important proteins, which can be triggered by regular stretching.
Stretching helps in fighting anxiety disorders. The important protein released promotes brain changes, which enhances learning.
These changes are an essential part of anti-anxiety therapies. This implies that stretching is ideal for improving the effectiveness of such therapies. It is also proved that stretching can lead to better outcomes in those with schizophrenia.
Other benefits
Flexibility
Stretching can increase the range of motion of joints. The temporary gain may be due to your nervous system’s tolerance to a stretch position. These gains may disappear within a day or a few hours.
Makes life easier
Apart from improving your workout, flexibility can make your daily life better. You may not be aware, but several daily tasks involve flexibility. Boosting your flexibility with stretching allows you to perform these small but important daily movements.
Reduce injury risk
Warming up before exercising can reduce the injury risk, and stretching is one of the best warm-ups. Stretching increases the range of motion by warming up your muscles, joints, and tendons and temporarily increasing the range of motion. This helps you perform various moves in your workout with the perfect body position.
Body calmness
It’s recommendable to cool down your body after an exercise before handling other activities. This lowers your heart rate and calms your breathing. And one way to achieve this calm state is by stretching.
How often you should stretch for your mental health
With regular practice, you can notice optimal performance, mood improvement, improvement in pain, posture, flexibility, and increased range in motion within a few weeks.
While stretching does not have a set standard, making it a part of your daily routine guarantees you more optimal performance in today’s life.
Suppose you are working from home. You can remind yourself to stretch by setting alarms for a minute or two. Making stretching party of your daily routine can make it your daily habit.
Final Thoughts On Stretching and Mental Health
Stretching is not only beneficial to our physical fitness. It as wells plays a significant role in mental stability. Stretching enables us to refocus our minds back to the present and resolve anxiety problems. That’s through stimulating receptors in the nervous system to minimize the production of stress hormones.
