One of my favorite quotes rotating on the welcome screen above the front desk at Wellness Insights reads, “Acupuncture is permission to take an adult nap.”

Another favorite quote about the value of unplugging and literally lying down for a short while is by Turkish playwright and novelist Mehmet Murat Ildan: “Naps are nature’s way of reminding us that sometimes doing nothing is the best thing we can do.”

Can lying down and “doing nothing” stimulate your body’s natural healing capabilities?

Research is proving that taking as little as 10 minutes to lie down can help our minds and bodies to relax and be more resilient.* What’s really exciting is that not only can you feel refreshed and more at ease after a “lie down,” the parasympathetic part of our nervous system (the rest/digest aspect) is activated, which gives a boost to our body’s natural regenerative systems. This means our bodies literally increase their ability to restore during periods of lying down. Add on modalities like acupuncture, bodywork, and energy work, and the research shows an even greater level of parasympathetic activity.

The Research

In a block randomized control study of 60 healthy women, women were asked to lie down for two sessions lasting 10 minutes each. The first session focused on gathering “psychological” feedback by asking the women how they felt before, during, and after the 10-minute resting period. The second test monitored changes in HRV (Heart Rate Variability) before, during, and after the resting period. HRV measures resilience to stressors and is an indicator for longevity.

For both tests, about a 1/3 of the women didn’t receive bodywork, about 1/3 received a shoulder massage, and the remaining group of women received a head and neck massage intended to stimulate the Vagus Nerve (the Vagus Nerve regulates involuntary functions like heart rate, digestion, and breathing).

The Results

In the first test, there was a significant increase in the feeling of relaxation for all three groups. All groups were positively affected during the 10-minute session of lying down, and all groups experienced feeling more relaxed after the treatment compared to before.

When HRV was measured, the Vagus Massage group had the biggest increase, followed by the shoulder massage and the women who were lying down without massage. Take a look at the figures below. Green = Lying Down Without Massage, Blue = Vagus Massage Group, Red = Shoulder Massage Group.

Figure 1 – Sense of Feeling Relaxed: Test 1

Figure 2 – Measuring Heart Rate Variability (HRV)

Credit for both figures above: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-71173-w
Standardized massage interventions as protocols for the induction of psychophysiological relaxation in the laboratory: a block randomized, controlled trial

Take Away: Lie Down

Lying down for as little as 10 minutes can improve how you feel and how your body optimizes its natural healing capabilities. The data in this study proves it, and if you take the time, you will most likely feel the immediate effects of taking an “adult nap.”

Imagine the positive changes 30 minutes or an hour of acupuncture, physical therapy, massage, or Craniosacral Therapy can do for your recovery and overall health! Let’s all lie down and get up renewed!

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