When we wake up in the morning one of our first natural responses is to
stretch our arms, legs and our body to get ready for the day. It is something
we don't normally consciously think about, but it's an
automatic response of our body. But why do we do that? What is the purpose
behind this natural and automatic movement?
By dictionary (Merriam Webster) definition
stretching means 'to extend in length'. When we wake up in the morning
our bodies tend to feel tight, because we have not used our muscles for a
longer period of time during sleep. And when muscles are not used they
automatically shorten. So by stretching our bodies in the morning we are
extending them again, so they are ready for use.
So why do people choose to make it a practice
to stretch regularly? And why do we need to stretch our body in
addition to automatic stretching movements first thing in the
morning?
In this article I try to give some insights into the positive effects
stretching has on our bodies and how it might influence our body &
mind.
There are different ways one can stretch their muscles and I will share more
about that later on in this article, but first I want to share about what
happens in our body when we stretch. The
University of Southern California
did some
research about this and here are some of their findings.
Effects of stretching in the body
- The water content in our tissues increases, which means our body is more lubricated and can run smoother,
- The stem cells in the tendons (the strings connecting your muscle to your bone) multiply and create new or more material for the tendons, which lets them renew themselves and stay agile,
- The length of the muscle fibre is increased. Muscles are made up of muscle fibres which are made up of sarkomeres. Sarkomeres contract and expand when we use our muscles. When we stretch, the length of the muscle fibre is increased by adding new sarkomeres.
So stretching helps the joints and muscles stay healthy by lubricating
them, adding new material to the tendons and increases the amount of
working units in our muscles.
But there is also a psychological aspect to streching. When we are stretching,
our body produces serotonin, which is also called the happy hormone. It
creates a feeling of happiness and reduces the stress in our body and mind.
This is the body's way of telling itself that what you are doing is healthy
and you should do more of it. So even when we are done with our stretching
routine we might still feel elevated and relaxed at the same time.
When it comes to stretching, there are different ways to do it. They are
generally divided into -
- Active/Passive stretching - Active means that you are doing it by yourself. And passive means you are doing it with an aid (like a wall, stretch band etc.) or the help of another person.
- Static/Dynamic stretching - Static is when you are stretching by holding a position for an extended period of time. Dynamic stretching is when you are stretching by using dynamic movements.
In 2018 a
meta-study, published in the International Journal for Sports medicine, by Ewan et
al., analysed 23 studies on the
different types of stretching and what influence they have on increasing the
range of motion (ROM). ROM is a term that describes how flexible one muscle
is and how far it can extend. They found that static stretching for 30-60
seconds for at least 5 days a week/preferably 6 days a week for 5 minutes
shows the biggest improvement in the ROM.
So that means, by spending 5 minutes a day our muscles and tissues would get
more flexible, smoother in their movement and have more strength with the
additional benefit of feeling happy afterwards.
If you are curious to give stretching a try - in my next blogpost
I'll share a 5 minute stretching routine that can help you increase the
flexibility of your body, with specific focus on the muscles
that tend to shorten easily. If you are curious to try it out -
you can click here.