PMR (Progressive Muscle Relaxation)
Need a natural muscle relaxant?
PMR is a relaxation technique developed by American physician, Edmund Jacobson in the 1920s. Jacobson is widely known in the therapeutic community as “The Man Who Invented Relaxation.” Really, it was just a way to help his patients deal with anxiety.
Through a simple three-step process, the exercise teaches you how to relax your muscles, and turn down the sympathetic nervous system or stress response. (Even the most zen person could benefit from this technique during the current state of the world right now).
Wondering how to do progressive muscle relaxation? Watch this 15 min video and practice with me!
Here is the simple step-by-step of how you do PMR:
Squeeze parts of your body to engage the muscles. (Try it now by squeezing your shoulder up toward your ears.)
Hold for a few moments.
Then release and imagine your shoulders relaxing from the inside out, for several breaths.
This technique encourages neuromuscular connection, teaching your muscles the difference between tension and true relaxation. This practice has long been used to effectively manage stress, tension, anxiety, insomnia, and chronic pain.
COVID-19 Progressive Muscle Relaxation Study
A new study shows the benefit of PMR in the case of COVID-19. Since humans are social creatures, isolation treatment can cause a sharp increase in anxiety and sleep issues. This study sought to explore methods of relaxation to alleviate the symptoms of anxiety and sleep disturbance for patients with COVID-19 in isolation. Patients were randomly divided into an experimental group and a control group. Patients in the experimental group were taught PMR through live video and performed the exercise for 30 minutes a day for 1 week.
The results confirmed PMR’s effectiveness in reducing anxiety and improving sleep quality in patients. This study backs the powerful effects of PMR for lowering anxiety, reducing tension, easing pain, and generally feeling better whether in isolation or not.
