How to Relax Your Body by Doing Progressive Muscle Relaxation

 




What is progressive muscle relaxation (PMR)?

Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is a technique where a person tenses and relaxes different muscles in their body to relieve tension and induce a relaxation response.

PMR is a relaxation technique that involves tensing and relaxing specific muscles in turn. Usually, a person begins with the feet and works their way up the body, taking deep, slow breaths throughout the exercise.

By focusing on tensing and relaxing muscles individually, a person becomes focused on the present moment. If their attention wanders, they can refocus again on how their body feels as they work their way through the exercise. This encourages mindfulness. Another name for the exercise is a “body scan” meditation.

The goal of PMR is to bring about a relaxation response. The relaxation response causes the body to transition from an alert, active state into a more restful one. It causes physiological changes, such as:

  • slower breathing
  • slower heart rate
  • lower blood pressure
  • lower cortisol levels

People can induce the relaxation response to relieve stress or anxiety, help them get to sleep, or ease tense muscles. Some people also use PMR at the end of a yoga session or as a form of meditation.

To try PMR:

  1. Find a peaceful and quiet place to do the exercise. Sit in a chair or lie down on the floor or a bed. If it feels comfortable, close the eyes.
  2. Keeping the mouth closed, inhale deeply and slowly through the nose. Exhale slowly through the mouth and imagine tension leaving the body.
  3. Repeat these deep breaths three or four more times. If it causes dizziness, breathe normally instead.
  4. On the fifth inhale, squeeze the muscles in the toes and feet and count to four. Then exhale slowly through the mouth, gradually releasing tension from the feet.
  5. Repeat step four, this time for the calf muscles. Tense the calf muscles while breathing in, then release when breathing out.

Continue to repeat a pattern of tensing muscles while inhaling and then relaxing them while exhaling for muscles all the way up the body. This includes the:

  • knees
  • thighs
  • buttocks
  • abdomen
  • hands, by making fists
  • arms
  • shoulders, by shrugging them toward the ears
  • jaw, by clenching the teeth and releasing
  • face, by scrunching the facial muscles and releasing

After releasing tension from a body part, take a few deep breaths before moving onto the next part. Think about breathing out tension with each exhale.

At the end of the exercise, be still for a while and notice how it feels. If a person needs to get up, they can slowly open their eyes and gently move out of their position.

The main benefit of PMR is that it reduces mental and physical stress.

When someone feels stressed, it can trigger the body’s stress response. This elevates breathing, heart rate, and the release of stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. In the short term, these changes are not harmful and can help someone if they are in a dangerous or threatening situation.

But long-term exposure to stress has a range of health effects. It can:

Regularly making time for relaxation or the use of relaxation techniques can reduce the impact of stress. PMR may also have specific benefits, such as:

  • Reducing migraine frequency: A small 2016 studyTrusted Source found that PMR training reduced the number of migraine episodes 35 participants experienced. It also normalized a type of brainwave that doctors associate with migraine, implying that this exercise may work on a physiological level.
  • Reducing lower back pain: The American College of Physicians supports the use of several therapies for mild to moderate lower back pain, including PMR.
  • Reducing dental anxiety: For some, fear of going to the dentist prevents them from seeking treatment. A small 2018 trialTrusted Source found that participants who practiced PMR training had significantly lower dental anxiety than the control group. They also had lower scores for depression symptoms.
  • Helping people in hospital: People with burns can experience high levels of anxiety. A small 2019 study found that people with burns experienced better quality sleep and felt less anxious after practicing PMR.

Many of these studies involved a low number of participants, so more research on the specific applications of PMR are necessary.

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