Discover Neuroglide for Relaxation and Stress Relief

Neuroglide feels great to use, but the therapeutic benefits of relaxation involve much more than a pleasant experience. Neuroglide therapy can help to trigger your natural relaxation response, providing regular opportunities for your body to rest and recover.There are at least two neurophysiological mechanisms that contribute to Neuroglide’s relaxation effects:

‍1. Neuroglide therapy can trigger the “rest and digest” relaxation response. The soothing action of waves of gentle pressure beneath your skin stimulates your parasympathetic nervous system, which helps the body transition from a stressed “fight or flight” state to a relaxed “rest and digest” state.

‍2. Neuroglide therapy can trigger the “affective touch” response. “Affective touch” is touch that is experienced as pleasurable and soothing.

Over the past 15 years we have learned that there are sensory nerve fibers in our body that only respond to slow, gentle stroking of the skin. The brain interprets these touch signals as a sign that you are in an environment of safety, security, and belonging.

These kinds of social signals have well-documented therapeutic benefits that include deep relaxation and improved immune response.

A stressor is something that triggers a stress response in your body. The term "fight or flight" is one common way of referring to the stress response.

The stress response is all about preparing your brain and body to deal with a situation that will require focused attention or physical action.

When your stress response is triggered:

• your heart rate and respiration go up
• blood is directed to your brain and limbs
• adrenaline prepares your muscles for exertion
• bronchi in the lungs dilate, preparing for the need for oxygen

This is just a small sample from a long list of internal processes that alter your physiology, your cognitive abilities, and your emotions.

The term "fight or flight" is helpful because it points to the ancient survival value of this response.

But the term can also be misleading because it suggests that stress is only present when we're preparing to fight or run from some external threat.

‍In reality the stress response accompanies any situation where we need to pay attention, analyze a situation, decide on a course of action, and then execute that action.

‍Playing a video game or engaging in a stimulating conversation can also activate the stress response. Neither needs to be interpreted as dangerous or threatening.

This is important: not all stress is bad. A certain level of regular stress is essential for healthy human growth and development. Many healthy activities that we enjoy also engage the stress response.

But if we stay in a stressed state for too long, that can lead to serious health problems. Our bodies are not meant to stay in this elevated state of arousal for too long.

The “relaxation response” is basically the inverse of the stress response. It’s the set of neurophysiological changes that breaks the hold of the stress response and returns the body to a pre-stressed state.

The relaxation response is also commonly known as the “rest and digest” response. This is because it prepares the body to do the important work of digesting and metabolizing food, repairing damaged tissues, and eliminating waste.

Neurobiologically, the stress response is triggered and organized by the sympathatic nervous system (SNS). The relaxation response is governed by the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS).

We move back and forth between stressed and relaxed states all the time. What we want to avoid is getting stuck in a stressed state for too long.

Unfortunately, persisting stress is a serious and growing problem for many of us.

With over 30% of Americans reporting that they suffer from what they describe as “extreme stress”, chronic stress is a serious and growing health problem.

An important contributor to the problem lies with the nature of the stress response itself.

Our stress response evolved very early in our evolutionary history to help us deal with external challenges that demand physical action.

‍But humans also respond to stressors that are purely psychological in origin, that aren’t attached to any imminent physical threat or challenge.

‍Worse, psychological stressors can persist indefinitely, with no opportunity for resolution or closure. Consider our seemingly bottomless capacity to worry about our relationships, money, our work life, our status in social groups, the upsetting news of the day, and so on.

This is at least part of the answer to the question of why human beings are so vulnerable to chronic stress.

‍Modern life provides a steady supply of psychological stressors, and our stress response is constantly being triggered.

Our brains interpret these stressors as threats to our survival, and activate a “fight or flight” response that may have been adaptive in our evolutionary history, but is no longer adaptive when it persists.

This is why it’s so important to develop a therapeutic routine that gives us regular opportunities to disconnect from daily stressors and give our bodies a chance to rest, relax and recover.