Anxiety & The Relaxation Response
Up until very recently, we humans lived in the big outdoors!
In biological terms, it is only a split second ago that we were hunting wild animals and finding our own water to survive. Yet now (moments later in evolutionary terms), most of us have to sit and stare at screens to survive. It’s a big change for our nervous systems.
Despite not being chased by wild animals, many of us still suffer from all the same set of emotional patterns like anxiety and stress that our ancestors would have felt when they were in survival situations. And just because it’s an email triggering your anxiety, it doesn’t make that anxiety any less real than when it was triggered by sabre tooth tiger attacks.
We are still fitted with the exact same brain that kept us alive as hunter-gatherers, so it doesn’t always know how best to handle the demands of the modern world. When we struggle with issues like anxiety, PTSD and depression, it is often caused by stubborn activation of our ancient hunter-gatherer nervous systems.
We all know that fight-or-flight is an ancient survival mechanism and that it’s involved in perpetuating conditions like chronic anxiety. But what happens to our bodies after the fight-or-flight reaction has been triggered when the danger has passed?
Before we dive into and learn about our body’s natural ‘relaxation response’, It’s important to understand a little about the body’s fight-or-flight response. This gives us a context into why the relaxation response is so important.
Our Fight or Flight Response
Over the many thousands of years of human evolution, we have developed many natural responses that have historically kept us alive. Each natural reaction kicks off a chain of events within our bodies that happens automatically and often without us noticing. However, some of these events can be felt if we pay close attention to our bodies. Subtle signs are a slightly increased heart rate and breathing; in more extreme cases, it could feel like a panic attack.
In response to acute anxiety or stress, a series of chemical reactions occur within the body’s sympathetic nervous system. This reaction either powers us to move quickly or gives us the strength to fight.
- Release 1 – Adrenocorticotropic and Corticotropin are released immediately
This initial chemical release triggers the sympathetic nervous system to stimulate the pituitary gland and adrenal glands to:
- Release 2 – Catecholamines, which include Adrenaline, Noradrenaline and Cortisol
The release of these chemical causes:
- Reaction – Increase in heart rate, blood pressure and breathing
This reaction is perfect when we are genuinely in a life-or-death situation; however, most commonly, in our busy, over-stimulated, stressed, and anxious worlds, this response is activated far too frequently. Maintaining a healthy body and mind becomes problematic when we are regularly flooded with stress hormones. Our brains get ‘stuck’ in a highly anxious state, causing a cyclical downward spiral of health ranging from:
- Heart disease
- Heart attack
- High blood pressure
- Stroke
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Digestive problems
- Headaches
- Muscle tension and pain
- Sleep problems
- Weight gain
- Memory and concentration impairment
As it is not always possible to remove yourself from the stressors in your life, reducing the level of time you trigger a fight-or-flight response can be tricky. However, it can be possible to balance your health and kick off an upward spiral of events that will make your mind and your body feel better….. This is where the Relaxation Response comes in.
What Is Our Relaxation Response?
The reverse of the fight-or-flight response is the relaxation response. This occurs when the body no longer senses danger or threat, and the functioning of the autonomic nervous system returns to normal. Simply put, it’s the “off switch” to your body’s tendency toward fight-or-flight.
In the moments of our life where chronic anxiety and stress are prevalent, the body can find itself in a constant state of physical stimulation. Generally, this is over-perceived threats that are numerous and not life-threatening. For some people, this can be as simple as work email notifications. Because of the volume of threats felt, the body’s relaxation response does not always have time to kick in before the next stressor occurs. This can lead to reduced immunity and increases in negative emotional consequences like burnout and anxiety.
What Is Our Relaxation Response?
The reverse of the fight-or-flight response is the relaxation response. This occurs when the body no longer senses danger or threat, and the functioning of the autonomic nervous system returns to normal. Simply put, it’s the “off switch” to your body’s tendency toward fight-or-flight.
In the moments of our life where chronic anxiety and stress are prevalent, the body can find itself in a constant state of physical stimulation. Generally, this is over-perceived threats that are numerous and not life-threatening. For some people, this can be as simple as work email notifications. Because of the volume of threats felt, the body’s relaxation response does not always have time to kick in before the next stressor occurs. This can lead to reduced immunity and increases in negative emotional consequences like burnout and anxiety.
What Are The Benefits Of The Relaxation Response?
Just like our fight-or-flight response kicks off a chain reaction of hormones release and body changes, so does the relaxation response. In contrast, the relaxation response activates the parasympathetic nervous system, and an automatic chain of chemical releases occurs:
- Release 1 – Norepinephrine is released from peripheral nerve endings called synapses; this chemical release causes a narrowing of blood vessels.
- Release 2 – Nitric oxide is then released, and this chemical causes the widening of blood vessels.
As a result:
- Reaction 1 – Much needed oxygen and nutrients are delivered to our muscles, which decreases blood pressure, respiratory rate, and oxygen consumption.
- Reaction 2 – Our hands and feet get warm, and we see an increase in alertness and focus due to increased oxygen being delivered to the brain.
The overall benefits of the relaxation response are as wide-reaching (but in reverse) as the fight-or-flight response.
The Relaxation Response has been shown to:
Slower Breathing
- When we are stressed, our breathing naturally speeds up; this is why the phrase “Take a deep breath” is often used when people seem pumiced. Breathing too fast can lead to your blood having low levels of carbon dioxide, which could make you dizzy and weak. Relaxation naturally slows your breathing rate.
Relaxed Muscles and Pain
- Part of our stress response causes our bodies to stiffen, usually, muscle tension eases when you calm down, but elongated or regular long-lasting stress can lead to tense muscles nearly all the time. The relaxation response allows our muscles to relax, and relaxed muscles hurt less. Additionally, being relaxed prompts your brain to release endorphins, chemicals that act as natural painkillers.
Better Blood Sugar Control
- Stress hormones can increase your blood sugar, making conditions like diabetes harder to manage if you are under ongoing stress. Relaxation can help form a more stable base from which you can manage your blood sugar.
Better Working Immune System
- Infections can be harder to fight when we are stressed; however, deep relaxation can help give space for the immune system to recover.
Better Sleep
- Sleep can be one of the more obvious signs of stress, as this can, for many people, be impacted when we are under pressure. It’s hard to sleep well when our body is pumping with chemicals aimed at doing the opposite of relaxing us. So, it goes without saying that if those stress hormones have been replaced with calmer, heart rate reducing hormones, we are likely to get a better, deeper night’s sleep.
The relaxation response has also been known to alleviate symptoms associated with hypertension, arthritis, insomnia, depression, infertility, cancer, anxiety, PTSD, and even aging.
How Can I ‘Kick Off’ My Relaxation Response?
The key to relaxation and therefore kicking off the relaxation response is finding your joy, goofy as that may sound, it’s not too far from the truth. Everyone’s joy and, therefore, the thing that can be effective in relaxing is going to be different for everyone. For me, it’s a game of squash or a stroll on the waterfront. So, what’s your joy?
- Cooking
- Gardening
- Painting
- Reading
- Art classes
- Yoga classes
- Massage
- Football
- Golf
- Running
Alongside these, more lifestyle considerations are, of course:
- Deep Breathing exercises
- Mediation practise
- Mindfulness practise
Brainwave Entrainment
If you find meditation or mindfulness challenging or you struggle to switch off your brain, there is an alternative option for you. Brainwave Entrainment.
DeepWave Brainwave Entrainment enhances mental and emotional well-being by reducing fight or flight activity in the brain’s temporal lobe. This can be very helpful for people suffering from conditions like anxiety.
DeepWave adjusts your brainwave activity using high-frequency LED light. A light that pulses at the same frequency as desirable brain health states, like happy, relaxed, peaceful, optimistic, focused, creative, meditative, compassionate, confident, flow, and even sleepy states. This isn’t so much a treatment for anxiety, but then exercise isn’t a treatment for obesity.
In the middle of the brain, there is a structure called the amygdala. The amygdala is about the shape and size of an almond and sits in the temporal lobe.
Brainwave Entrainment stimulates clusters of nerve cells deep in the brain that respond to light. These brain centers suppress fight-flight-freeze in the amygdala and are involved in the relaxation response.
Over time almost everybody finds DeepWave sessions to be immensely relaxing and mood-enhancing. But the first session can sometimes be a little different. People report various effects during and immediately after the first session.
- Around 20% report that they completely bliss out during the first session.
- Around 30% have a subtle improvement in mood.
- Around 20% have a very mild reaction like feeling a bit anxious, have a cry or feel really tired.
- And about 30% felt like their mind was racing and they couldn’t switch off.
If you are looking for natural ways to support your journey towards less anxiety or some other mental health challenge like depression or PTSD, finding ways to activate your relaxation response and switch off your fight or flight centers is an excellent option!
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