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.
how to stretch
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.
Stretching is a topic with lots of ongoing researches and discussions about many topics including what type of stretching makes sense, and for what type of activity. For example there are some stretches more suitable before we start an exercise and some after exercise. The type of stretches also depend on what exercise or sport we are about to do. In a general sense though, if we are trying to increase our flexibility and do something to increase the health and mobility of our body there might be specific stretches more suitable for us.
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.