What causes muscular and mental tension?

Physiology and psychology are deeply interwoven. Muscular tension can be caused by acute damage or a low level persistent inflammation. Mental tension can have external causes as well as internal causes. It has been well documented that physical parameters like heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure correlate with psychological mood and feelings of wellbeing. Additionally, the scientific literature has increasingly shown a linkage between inflammation and mood disorders. [1] A key component in both muscular and mental tension is inflammation.

How can physical and mental relaxation be achieved?

A strategy to both relax the mind and body is to reduce inflammation. This will allow for better activation of the parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous system and deactivation of the sympathetic (fight or flight) nervous system. [2]

How can you reduce inflammation to improve relaxation?

The standard advice to reduce inflammation and relax is generally as follows:

Dietary Adjustments — eliminate processed foods and incorporate anti-inflammatory produce rich in antioxidants

Get Adequate Sleep — aim for 8 hours with consistent sleep and wake times

Reduce Stress — incorporate more time outdoors and leisure activities

Regular Physical Activity — engage in daily exercise, even if it is as simple as going for a walk

All of the above recommendations are sound advice, and are well known by most people. The problem with them are that they require a disciplined commitment to adjusting diet and lifestyle factors. For busy individuals it is not always easy to make massive adjustments to diet and lifestyle. Demands on ones time and energy can leave little leftover to make large changes.

A simple, easy adjustment to make

There is a simpler, easier adjustment to make that can help substantially with the first point above, shifting towards an anti-inflammatory diet. The benefit of anti-inflammatory foods are their ability to quench inflammation in the body by donating an electron. Free radicals, which are electron deficient compounds, steal electrons from healthy cells, damaging them and causing inflammation. Anti-oxidants are able to act directly on these free radicals by donating an electron to stabilize these molecules and prevent them from damaging other cells.

Reaserchers are able to determine the anti-oxidant capacity of different foods by measuring their ORAC values (Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity), which is effectively how many electrons these foods have to donate. This is how it is determined that foods like blueberries are great anti-oxidants.

There is another source of anti-oxidant electrons, that is nearly unlimited, and does not require you to eat it. Just making direct contact with this source of electrons allows the body to harvest the electrons and transport them to where they are needed in the body to reduce inflammation.

This source is the earth. The surface of the earth carries a surplus of electrons which can be gathered by the body through direct contact. When someone walks barefoot on the beach or through grass, these electrons are conducted into the body. This is one of the reasons why people feel great after a vacation at the beach. Making direct contact with the ground has been shown to reduce inflammation and increase wellbeing. It is much easier and simpler than making diet and lifestyle adjustments.

However, it is not always convenient to go outside and make direct contact with the ground. Busy schedules and inclement weather make it difficult to spend time outdoors. Fortunately, there is a way to access these same anti-inflammatory electrons from inside your home. The ground port of an outlet is connected directly to the earth, which is why it is called the ground port. The same source of electrons can be harvested from this port by making direct contact with it.

One way this can be done is by using a conductive material that makes contact with the body. TerraLink offers premium, made in the USA, socks with silver fibers that conduct electrons. Using this method is as easy as putting on a sock and can be done inside the convenience of your home. All of the same anti-inflammatory benefits from making contact with the ground can be achieved in a simple, easy, and effortless manner.