The importance of relaxation. Relaxation and Brain Wave Functions part 1
In the last issue we highlighted the dangers of continuous stress.
We pointed out how much the constant chemical imbalance induced
by stress can harm the body and mentioned that it is almost impossible
in our times to escape stressful situations.
So what can we do?
Our body has remarkable self-healing potential, which you experience
regularly. When you go to sleep after a tiring day, something happens
during the night, that lets you wake up feeling noticeable refreshed
and recharged. You will agree that what you experience even before
falling asleep is relaxation. If relaxation can be linked to restorative
actions of the body what is actually happening?
Just by reading this, billions of neurons are firing on and off
in your brain. When each of these electrical firings are detected
as a whole, a "wave" effect is observed. These cumulative electrical
rhythms are referred to as "brain waves". Brain waves occur at different
frequencies, which is the number of times a wave repeats itself
within a second.
The natural phenomena of falling asleep takes you from a fast brain
wave activity called BETA through to ALPHA, the beginning of relaxation,
to THETA, the state of tranquillity, creativity and very deep relaxation
which reflects the state between wakefulness and sleep and finally
to DELTA, the brain-wave state experienced in the deepest stages
of sleep; a state of total unawareness, of unconsciousness.
Therefore, if you apply techniques to consciously lower your brain
wave activity you mimic the natural process and achieve the advantages
that go with it.
Such techniques will be introduced to you in the next issue.
Stress Explained
Relaxation is the best way to counteract stress. Stress itself
is nothing new; it served men well from the earliest of times to
either prepare to fight or to flee. When confronted with stress,
the body reacts with a series of biochemical changes, which heighten
the sensitivity of the nervous systems.
With lightning speed multiple commands are carried out: the heartbeat
quickens, the reflexes sharpen, the muscles tense, the pupils dilate,
the blood vessels of the skin contract, the liver releases stored
glucose for extra energy, digestion is reduced and the blood’s
ability to coagulate increases to prevent excessive blood loss,
just in case!
This is an amazingly complex and very useful phenomenon when we
are facing severe physical trauma and the body recovers quickly
from its stress response once the event is over. Historically, stress
has been experienced in these short bursts; but the stresses and
strains of the 21st century are somewhat different. Today stress
is virtually constant, anxiety over job performances, unhappy relationships,
money worries, the list is endless. It is almost impossible to escape
the causes of stress, and the body has very little opportunity to
restore and subsequently tries to adjust. This of course can be
useful when coping with a severe illness or hardship, but as a coping
technique to deal with inconsiderate taxi drivers or receiving the
credit card bill, it is clearly an overkill. When faced with unremitting
stress the body will eventually enter the exhaustion stage and the
weak links in the individual biochemical makeup will begin to break
down, resulting in headaches or digestive problems, allergies and/or
high blood pressure.
Simple relaxation techniques, such autogenic training, meditation, self hypnosis or listening to guided visualizations or certain music styles will counteract stress and restore or increase overall well-being.
Published in Vibration Magazine Dec 2006
