Progressive muscle relaxation, this precious method to fall asleep easily

Knots in the neck, tense shoulders, perpetually furrowed brows… Our muscles accumulate a significant portion of our daily stress. The pressure in the evening is then difficult to release to let go and go to sleep. Progressive muscle relaxation can help release tension in the body. It was developed in the 1920s by the American physician and physiologist Edmund Jacobson, and consists of contracting and then relaxing muscles in various parts of the body, gradually, to induce general relaxation. By acting on relaxation, it can also facilitate sleep. Experts give us the keys to apply it correctly.

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The body as a gateway to the mind

Observing that every emotion, thought, and mental activity is accompanied by electrical activity in the muscles, Jacobson develops his method. “He then tries to create the opposite phenomenon, a complete lack of muscle activity, to produce a complete relaxation of the mind,” comments Dominique Cervante, psychiatrist and head of the stress and anxiety department at Lille University Hospital. (1).

Instead of allowing the body to suffer the whims of our emotional feelings, progressive muscle relaxation allows us to take control of the connection between the body and the brain. The method relieves anxiety and stress-related disorders. “The physiological response of the body to this method is opposed to the symptoms caused by stress and anxiety,” explains the psychiatrist. For disorders such as hypertension or even stress-induced digestive disorders, it will therefore be very beneficial.”

Relax the body to prepare it for sleep

Dominique Servant recommends this technique to his insomnia patients. “When we struggle to sleep, our mind sends signals to the body and keeps it active; these are the electrical impulses described by Jacobson. His relaxation method makes it possible to “force” the liberation of the mind by going the opposite way – muscle relaxation,” he elaborates.

Letting go while you sleep is becoming more and more simple and even automatic.

Dominique Cervante, Psychiatrist

And the benefits on sleep only increase. “the more we practice the sequence, the more the body will learn the neuromuscular pathway to transition from a tense state to a relaxed state. Letting go while sleeping will become more and more simple, and even automatic,” adds the psychiatrist.

Affordable and simple method

To master the method while sitting or lying down, you begin by clenching your fists for a few seconds and gently releasing them, listening to the impact you feel in the muscles. Then we move on to the arms, fully stretching them until they relax. “The idea is to map the body into several areas and follow the same routine for each practice. scientist and sophrologist Clémence Peix Lavallée (2). The duration of the exercise does not really matter, the main thing is to focus on relaxing the muscles so that your body gets used to the sensations.

Progressive muscle relaxation is available to as many people as possible. “Some people are not receptive to sleep techniques that require telling stories, imagining certain situations, or focusing on breathing, for example,” comments psychiatrist Dominique Cervante. On the other hand, everyone is able to contract and relax the muscles.

It is also very easy to do. “After a while there will be no need to train every part of the body anymore. Only a few landmarks will be enough for the body to quickly find the way to rest,” says Clemens Pace Lavallee. And in order for the method to bear fruit while sleeping, it is recommended to exercise as often as possible: in the waiting room, for a few minutes in the office, in transport.

(1) Relaxation and meditation, find your emotional balanceby Dominique Cervante, published by Odile Jacob, 230 pages, €12.49.
(2) Find your inner strength, overcome stress and burnoutBy Clémence Peix Lavallée, published by Odile Jacob, 224 pages, €21.90.

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