WHY DOES STRETCHING FEEL SO GOOD?
If you ask any one of us why does stretching feel so good maybe most of us will have a blank staring look.
Understanding the real reasons why stretching makes us feel so good
We all do it unknowingly what the benefits of stretching are and why it makes us feel good from the inside. If not wrong then stretching gives us an instant feeling of satisfaction and relaxation isn’t it?
In this article, we will find out about the real reasons why stretching feels so good and find out about the benefits of stretching daily.
We will also have a look at why apart from the general casual stretch you should be focusing more on doing the stretching exercises and a few common ones that you can try out easily at home daily in the morning.
What happens in your body when you stretch?
Doctors and researchers have conducted a few experiments to find out how our brain and body systems work and what happens after stretching to find out some real concrete answers as to why stretching feels good.
In this section, we will see some of the internal body functional changes that happen after you stretch.
Improves your blood circulation
When you stretch the muscle tissues get stretched and relaxed and as a result of this the surrounding blood vessels attached to the tissues start supplying more blood to it.
The heart starts pumping more blood and this allows the cells of the tissues to get far more oxygen and the respiration process occurs resulting in more ATP formation. This higher blood flow also allows the cells to get rid of all the waste metabolic products inside the cell.
Activates the parasympathetic nervous system
When you stretch your body’s parasympathetic nervous system activates and the sympathetic nervous system deactivates or inhibits. This nervous system allows feelings of rest to crop up in your brain and generates equivalent signals. It gives your brain a sense of calmness and elation.
This gives a real concrete reason as to why does stretching feels good in the morning.
Releases endorphins
The endorphins as we know are hormones that are released by the pituitary gland and function all along with the central nervous system and function as neurotransmitters. They give a pain-relieving effect and also cause sensations of euphoria, relaxation, and satisfaction.
As you might know that endorphins are also released when we have sex, orgasm, eating our most craving food items, or drink.
Although there are no concrete proven reasons on whether endorphins are released when we stretch.
But scientists and researchers believe in it due to the similar feelings generated during stretching.
Allows muscles to ease up
One of the best reasons as to why does stretching feel so good is probably the reason that it allows your muscles and tissues to ease up and relaxed.
Doctors and scientists claim that after long hours of inactivity such as after a long night’s sleep some of the muscles and tissues in our body are contracted.
When you stretch up they are stretched too and the muscle fibers get relaxed and leading to a higher blood flow to the tissue.
What are the benefits of stretching in the morning?
Like we told you above that we all do stretching sometimes during the day no knowing why stretching feels so good or what its benefits are.
But in this section, we will give you some concrete answers. Let’s jump into them right away…
Better muscular flexibility
Sometimes the muscles and tissues in our body are collapsed and shrunken. When you stretch them it allows them to decompress and come to their natural shape and size. This naturally allows us to be more flexible.
When you stretch you also get more blood flow to the tissues and muscles allowing them to become more flexible.
Better blood circulation
Just as we told you above that all the arteries attached to the tissues generate more blood flow when you stretch. The respiration rate of the inner tissue cells increases and this allows better circulation of blood that helps prevent internal clots and also allowing easier taking out of cellular wastes and unnecessary metabolic products.
Acts as a stress buster
This happens due to the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system. See, one of the possible and proven reasons why stretching feels good is that it acts as a stress buster. The activation of the parasympathetic nervous system allows you to generate feelings of satisfaction and relaxation and this naturally allows your body and the mind to de-stress.
Better erect posture
This happens due to more flexibility and better blood circulation through the muscles and tissues. You can get a better erect posture when the tissues are not decompressed or shrunken.
Some tips for stretching while ensuring safety
Now that you have some basic ideas on why does stretching feel good in the morning let’s understand the importance of stretching safely?
Here are some critical points to consider-
Make sure to do some warm-ups
It is better that you do some basic warm-up like running or jogging that allows your body to become active. If you suddenly stretch after long inactive hours then you suddenly risk the chance of injuring your muscles and tissues as they are still compressed and shrunken.
Gently allow the pressure during stretching
Do not overstretch. If you overstretch this will cause pain and burning sensation in the area as the tissues also have the flexibility and elastic limit. If you stretch too hard you run the risk of muscle cramps, muscle pain, or even tissue tear
Doing some stretching exercises
Don just stretch casually. We know that you love to stretch right after getting up from your sleep bed but a rather better idea is to focus on doing some stretching exercises.
You can do some simple stretching exercises such as the low lunge, forward bend, seated torso stretch, cobra pose stretch, and so on.
Stretching both ways
Remember that your body is symmetrical and hence has similar tissues on both sides. If you stretch one side then also stretch the other equally. Not doing this can allow one part of the body to be more flexible while the other portion being far less flexible.