Enjoy This Week’s CommonHealth Weekly Wellnote

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) for Better Sleep. A relaxation technique that goes back to the 1930s, progressive muscle relaxation, or PMR, is when you tense or tighten a muscle group and then release before moving through the next set of muscles. And as simple as it sounds, PMR is also a tried-and-true strategy for easing insomnia and difficulty sleeping. In addition, studies show this technique is effective for reducing anxiety, headaches, high blood pressure, and digestive issues like irritable bowel syndrome.

PMR activates the parasympathetic system, where the body slows to its baseline. Stress hormones, heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle tension all ease up.

PMR works because when your muscles are fully relaxed, it is natural for your body to move from an alert state to a resting state. When you encourage each muscle group to relax – in tandem with slow, diaphragmatic breathing, you can enter a more relaxed physiological state. In addition, the act of mentally focusing on tensing and relaxing each muscle directs mental attention from other thought processes like to-do lists, stressors, and worries. By pushing these thoughts out of our heads forces us to focus on only one thing – relaxing.

For more tips on Progressive Muscle Relaxation, revisit our Better Nights Ahead booklet for additional tips.

Stay Well!

If you have questions regarding this week’s communication or the CommonHealth program, please reach out to your respective campus coordinator below:

Alexandria-Kathy Clement or Najeeb Baha
Annandale-Regina Sanders
Fairfax/College Staff-Angel Mori
Loudoun-Gert Heslin
Manassas-ThuyTien Ngo-Nguyen
Springfield Medical Education Campus (MEC)-Corrine House
Woodbridge-Georgette Harris

Submitted by:
Charlotte Calobrisi, AVP of HR, CCalobrisi@nvcc.edu