The benefits of relaxation

We don’t relax enough, it’s that simple. However, there are many benefits of taking things down a notch – you can see them here.

Relaxing Can Protect The Heart

There are various studies available showing how stress is comparable to other risk factors traditionally considered as major contributors to poor physical health.  Some examples of these factors include hypertension, poor diet, and a lack of exercise.

Relaxing Can Lower The Risk Of Catching A Cold

According to Carnegie Mellon University psychology professor Sheldon Cohen, chronic stress is a great contributor to a person’s chance of catching a cold.  In fact, Dr Cohen notes that chronic stress lasting over one month, but less than six months, can increase the risk factor by up to 50%.

Relaxing Can Increase One’s Memory

Studies have found that chronic stress in mice impaired functioning in the prefrontal cortex.  This left the mice struggling to remember how to move through a maze because the prefrontal cortex is associated with abstract thought, cognitive analysis and detection of appropriate behaviour in a situation.

Relaxing Can Lower The Risk Of Stroke

In 2007, researchers at the University of Cambridge discovered that people who cope with stressful events well experience 24% less risk of stroke.  However, a 2011 study indicated that work-related stress and psychological stress causes approximately 10% of all strokes among middle- and upper-class men.

Relaxing Can Help With Better Decision-Making

Researchers discovered in a 2012 study that stress can alter how we weight risk and reward clouding judgement when faced with important decisions.  Counter-intuitively, individuals who are stressed will tend to focus on the positive aspects of a decision and ignore the negative consequences.  This study was conducted by a professor of gerontology and psychology at the University of Southern California, Dr Mara Mather.

Relaxing Can Keep You Thin

Stress makes it more difficult to resist foods that are high in sugar and fat.  It can also increase appetite and will encourage with specificity junk food cravings.

Creating a meditation area indoors, or even better outdoors can be a great idea. All you need is a quiet space of the garden to do so. Here you can include a space with mat, nice plants and even a focal point such as a fire or one of these outdoor wall fountain ideas.

Outdoor wall fountain ideas.

Relaxing Can Reduce The Appearance Of Acne

According to WebMD, researchers have found that stress can increase oil produced by the skin resulting clogging of the pores and acne.

Relaxing Can Slow The Process Of Breast Cancer

Despite research on the effects of stress on cancer growth being largely inconclusive, there is evidence pointing to a link between breast cancer aggressiveness and stress levels.  It has been found that relaxing will delay the professional of breast cancer and increase the rate of recovery.

Relaxing Can Reduce The Chance Of Depression

A study in 2011 found that mice exposed to a stressful event did not want to eat, stopped engaging during a swimming task more quickly, and exhibited “pleasurelessness”.  This is similar to human depression symptoms, such as a loss of appetite, hopelessness, and sadness.