Knots at the nape of the neck, shoulders clenched, eyebrows constantly furrowed... Our muscles store a considerable part of our daily stress. In the evening, the pressure is difficult to release to let go and fall asleep. The method of progressive muscle relaxation may well help get rid of tension from the body. Developed in the 1920s by the American physician and physiologist Edmund Jacobson, it consists of contracting and then relaxing the muscles of different parts of the body gradually, to induce a state of general relaxation. By acting on relaxation, it can also facilitate falling asleep. Specialists give us the keys to apply it correctly.
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The body as a gateway to the mind
It is by observing that each emotion, thought, and mental activity is accompanied by an electrical activity in the muscles, that Jacobson develops his method. "He then seeks to create the opposite phenomenon: the total absence of activity in the muscles, in order to cause absolute relaxation of the mind," comments the psychiatrist and head of the stress and anxiety unit at Lille University Hospital, Dominique Servant (1).
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Rather than letting the body suffer the vagaries of our emotional feelings, progressive muscle relaxation allows us to take control of the link between the body and the brain. The method calms anxiety and stress-related disorders. "The physiological response obtained by the body to this method opposes the symptoms caused by stress and anxiety," explains the psychiatrist. For disorders such as hypertension or even digestive disorders caused by stress, it will be very useful."
Relax the body to prepare it for sleep
Dominique Servant recommends the technique to her insomniac patients: "when we struggle to fall asleep, our mind sends signals to the body and keeps it active; these are the electrical impulses described by Jacobson. His method of relaxation makes it possible to "force" the release of the mind by taking the opposite path: that of muscular relaxation, "he says.
At the time of falling asleep, letting go will become more and more simple, and even automatic
Dominique Servant, psychiatrist
And the benefits on sleep are only growing: "the more we practice the sequence, the more the body will know the neuromuscular path to move from a state of tension to a state of relaxation. At the time of falling asleep, letting go will become simpler and even automatic, "adds the psychiatrist.
An accessible and simple method
To appropriate the method while sitting or lying down, you start by clenching your fists for a few seconds and gently releasing them by listening to the effect felt in your muscles. We then move on to the arms, stretching them completely before relaxing. "The idea is to map the body into several zones and follow the same order at each practice: fists, arms, neck, neck, face, chest, chest, stomach and back before ending up with the buttocks, hips, legs and feet," says scientist and sophrologist Clémence Peix Lavallée (2). The duration of the exercise does not really matter, the main thing is rather to focus on relaxing the muscles to accustom your body to the sensation caused. "
Progressive muscle relaxation is accessible to as many people as possible. "Some people are not receptive to methods of falling asleep that require telling stories, visualizing certain situations, or focusing on breathing for example," says psychiatrist Dominique Servant. On the other hand, everyone is able to contract and relax their muscles."
It is also very simple to practice. "After a while, it will no longer be necessary to train through each part of the body. Only a few landmarks will be enough for the body to quickly find the way to relaxation, "says Clémence Peix Lavallée. And in order for the method to bear fruit on falling asleep, it is recommended to train as often as possible: in a waiting room, for a few minutes in the office, in transport.
(1) Relaxation and meditation, finding your emotional balance, by Dominique Servant, published by Odile Jacob, 230 pages, €12.49.
(2) Finding your inner strength, overcoming stress and burn-out, by Clémence Peix Lavallée, published by Odile Jacob, 224 pages, €21.90.