Table of contents:
- The benefits of having an ideal posture for your health
- 1. Smooth breathing
- 2. Be more focused
- 3. Reduce headaches
- 4. Reducing stiffness and pain in joints
- 5. Reduce stress
Improving posture is not just about correcting the position of the body in carrying out a movement. However, be part of a healthy lifestyle. Because ideal posture has an impact on your physical and mental health. Are you curious about the benefits of having an ideal body posture? Check out the following reviews.
The benefits of having an ideal posture for your health
Posture is a position where you perform various movements, such as sitting, lying down, standing, running, and many more. When you have good, ideal posture, less load and tension is placed on the muscles and ligaments.
On the other hand, if the posture is bad, the stress on the muscles and ligaments will be greater. This will be bad for health if you don't improve your posture.
Here are the benefits of having an ideal posture for your health.
1. Smooth breathing
Good posture makes your breathing smoother. Standing or sitting with correct posture allows the lungs to take in about 30 percent more oxygen.
In addition, the diaphragm and ribs are under less pressure, making it more effective at regulating the flow of oxygen and carbon dioxide throughout the body.
Meanwhile, when the posture is hunched over when sitting, the airflow becomes obstructed. This is because the diaphragm gets more pressure and the ribs become narrower, providing space for air circulation.
Well, when this happens, the oxygen intake you should get is reduced. If left untreated, cells and tissues can become deprived of oxygen and eventually malfunctioning of the body appears.
2. Be more focused
Good posture can improve breathing, as well as having an effect on your brain. When oxygen is properly supplied, it makes the brain work more effectively, so you can focus more.
In the afternoon, your stamina and focus levels usually decrease. You start to feel sleepy and yawn. This is actually a sign that the body is deprived of oxygen. So, if your posture is good, you get more oxygen, then you will be more focused even though it's already late in the afternoon.
3. Reduce headaches
If you often have tension headaches, bad posture may be the cause. These headaches cause pressure around the forehead or the back of the head and neck.
Reporting from Prevention, Alynn Dukart, a physical and fitness therapist at the Mayo Clinic explained that tension headaches are usually caused by tension in the neck muscles, upper back muscles, and jaw muscles and one of the triggers is the posture of the head and shoulders that juts forward too much when sit.
To deal with this headache, make sure you reposition your body by leveling your upper shoulders and ears parallel. Then, gently massage the area around the back of the ear to the top of the shoulder. Stretch your hands behind your back with your hands clasping each other. This helps you reduce tension in the muscles.
4. Reducing stiffness and pain in joints
Having bad posture puts pressure on the joints and muscles around them. This pressure over time can cause soreness, pain or even injury.
Usually aches and pains often appear around the neck, shoulders, back, or hips. Poor standing posture and incorrect gait can lead to tendinitis and heel spurs.
Therefore, in order not to feel achy and painful in the joints, you must improve your posture. This action can straighten and balance the muscles and reduce the pressure on the joints that often cause injury.
5. Reduce stress
A study at the University of Auckland found that sitting upright can reduce stress and increase morale, while sitting hunched over can cause boredom, drowsiness, nervousness, and also fear.
Researchers agree that improving body position correctly can affect many things in the body, such as hormones and nervous system function that change mood and increase blood pressure.
