Medical Health Encyclopedia

Muscle Relaxation. Muscle relaxation techniques, often combined with deep breathing, are simple to learn and very useful for getting to sleep. In the beginning it is useful to have a friend or partner check for tension by lifting an arm and dropping it; the arm should fall freely. Practice makes the exercise much more effective and produces relaxation much more rapidly. Small studies have reported beneficial effects on blood pressure in hypertensive patients who employ this technique.

• After lying down in a comfortable position without crossing the limbs, concentrate on each part of the body.
• Maintain a slow, deep breathing pattern throughout this exercise.
• Tense each muscle as tightly as possible for a count of five to ten and then release it completely.
• Experience the muscle as totally relaxed and lead-heavy.
• Begin with the top of the head and progress downward to focus on all the muscles in the body.
• Be sure to include the forehead, ears, eyes, mouth, neck, shoulders, arms and hands, fingers, chest, belly, thighs, calves, and feet.
• Once the external review is complete, imagine tensing and releasing internal muscles.

Meditation. Meditation, used for many years in Eastern cultures, is now widely accepted in this country as a relaxation technique. The goal of all meditative procedures, both religious and therapeutic, is to quiet the mind (essentially, to relax thought). Small studies have suggested that regular meditation can benefit the heart and help reduce blood pressure. Better research is needed, however, to confirm such claims.

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Some recommend meditating for no longer than 20 minutes in the morning after awakening and then again in early evening before dinner. Even once a day is helpful. Note: Meditating before going to bed may cause some people to wake up in the middle of the night, alert and unable to return to sleep.