Relaxation (Anti-Stress) Exercises: Before sleep

Thinking about stressful situations before going to sleep can trigger the stress response, which is the opposite of what the body requires in order to wind down and go to sleep. A relaxation exercise can help people to get their attention from their racing thoughts to their body’s need for sleep. The following relaxation exercise may be done with soft music, nature sounds (e.g., ocean waves) or a relaxation tape playing in the background. It may also be done in conjunction with a meditation exercise or breathing exercise.

Each step of this exercise can be done while lying in bed. The steps are as follows:

Close the eyes and take three deep, cleansing breaths. Focus on inhaling clean air and exhaling stale air.
Continuing to breathe deeply, spend a few moments focusing your attention on the toes. Attention is fully focused on this part of the body when the position of each toe can be mentally visualized. This in itself can be quite relaxing as attention shifts from the mind to the body.
When fully focused on the toes, flex them as tightly as possible for a few seconds and then let go. Notice how much more relaxed they feel after letting go.
Next, flex the calf muscles by pointing the toes as far back toward the head as possible while keeping the legs out straight. (Do not try this if prone to muscle cramps in the calves). Hold for a few seconds and then release, noticing the difference. Continue this alternate flexing and releasing through the thighs, buttocks, stomach, shoulders, neck and jaw muscles.
Lastly, open the eyes as widely as possible with eyebrows up high for a few seconds, and then release. Once released, close the eyes and feel the relaxation throughout the body.

Introduction

Learning how to relax can greatly improve your health and well-being. That's why it is so important to find ways to introduce more relaxation into your everyday life. If you don't learn to manage stress, stress will manage you; and left unchecked, stress can be draining, cause anxiety, and even trigger health issues.

Relaxation exercises are a great way to relieve stress. The exercises in this site can work wonders on the stress knots in your shoulders and neck regions - on the stress that accumulates in your muscles - and even against certain stress headaches. These relaxation exercises are also great, because they are not strenuous.

Definition of Stress

Stress: Forces from the outside world impinging on the individual. Stress is a normal part of life that can help us learn and grow. Conversely, stress can cause us significant problems.

Stress releases powerful neurochemicals and hormones that prepare us for action (to fight or flee). If we don't take action, the stress response can lead to health problems. Prolonged, uninterrupted, unexpected, and unmanageable stresses are the most damaging types of stress.

Early separation from mother can lead to altered stress responses and depression later in life. The stresses of the mother can affect the stress response of the fetus, and perhaps predispose the child to psychiatric illness later in life.

Many of our ways in dealing with stress -- drugs, pain medicines, alcohol, smoking and eating -- actually are counterproductive in that they can worsen the stress and can make us more reactive (sensitive) to further stress.

Stress can be best managed by regular exercise, meditation or other relaxation techniques, structured time outs, and learning new coping strategies to create predictability in our lives. The management of stress depend mainly on the willingness of a person to make the changes necessary for a healthy lifestyle.