Simple Ways to Control the Recovery of the Nervous System After Stress and Tension
For those who exercise regularly, recovery after a workout is an important aspect of maintaining optimal health and fitness. After all, only sufficient recovery allows our bodies to cope with the workload, prevents injury and increases the effectiveness of the next workout. However, how do we determine how well we have recovered and if we are ready to perform our next workout? In this article, we’ll look at a few simple ways to calculate your recovery to help determine your readiness for your next physical activity.
- Why Pay Attention to Recovery After a Workout?
- How Does the Nervous System Works to Perform Movements?
- The Importance of Heart Rate Variability for Health and Exercise
- How to Determine If You Are Ready for Your Next Workout Using Hand Clench Strength
- The Value of the Carbon Dioxide Tolerance Test in Training and Recovery
- Conclusion
Why Pay Attention to Recovery After a Workout?
When we’re young, our bodies seem invulnerable, and we can work out as much as we want. But as we get older, the need for full recovery between workouts increases. Lack of recovery can lead to a lack of progress in athletic performance or even poor health. Instead of improving our fitness and health, we may be damaging them.
To avoid such consequences, we need to know how to properly determine if we are ready for our next workout and how much of it to perform. A full recovery is a prerequisite for successful progress in sport and maintaining health. In addition, a proper approach to recovery avoids injury and overexertion, and increases the effectiveness of training.
It should be remembered that sports achievements and health are not only the result of our training, but also the care of our bodies, including their recovery after physical exertion. Therefore, it is worth paying attention to proper recovery and paying proper attention to this process.
How Does the Nervous System Works to Perform Movements?
Our musculature plays a key role in the performance of any movement, from simple everyday activities to complex sports tricks. But not all muscles can be controlled consciously. Involuntary muscles, such as those of the gut, heart, and blood vessels, work automatically and are independent of our desire. In contrast, involuntary muscles, which we can control consciously, are the object of training and exercise. Understanding the difference between these two muscle types is important for proper and effective training and maintaining the health of our body.
Our skeletal muscles, also known as the transverse striated muscles, play an important role in the movement of our body because they are completely under our control. It carries out its movements using three components. The first and most important component is neurons, which are nerve cells located in the motor area of the cerebral cortex. Our muscles receive movement commands from these neurons in the form of nerve impulses.
Then, these nerve impulses pass through the neuronal spines and travel to the spinal cord. There, in the anterior horns of the spinal cord, the nerve impulses are switched to alpha-motoneurons. Finally, these alpha-motoneurons, which are within the nerves, are directed to the muscles whose movement we plan to perform. In this way, we are able to control our muscles and make the necessary movements thanks to this complex system of nervous system components.
Additional control of movements, which does not always depend on our attention, is exercised through the extrapyramidal pathways. This nervous system system is activated when we perform automatic movements such as walking, waving or running. The extrapyramidal pathways allow us to perform complex movements without the active involvement of the will and control of each muscle. The interaction between the different nervous system systems ensures smooth movement, coordination, and successful performance of training tasks or daily tasks.
When performing physical activities, not only the muscles but also the nervous system are involved in the process. Nervous system recovery is considered a critical component in the rest period between workouts, perhaps even more important than muscle recovery. Therefore, in addition to exercising the muscles, attention must also be paid to the recovery of the nervous system in order to achieve the best results in the training process.
The Importance of Heart Rate Variability for Health and Exercise
Let’s look at three simple methods that can help you pinpoint whether your nervous system is ready for your next workout session, or if you should wait a little longer.
The first method is to measure heart rate variability. What exactly is this? Our heart beats at a certain frequency, but it does not work as a metronome, meaning that the heart rate can increase or decrease depending on external conditions. Heart rate is controlled by the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems. These systems are not under the control of our consciousness.
The sympathetic nervous system speeds up the heart rhythm, making the heart rate higher. The parasympathetic nervous system slows the heart rate. For example, when you breathe in, your heart beats faster, but when you breathe out, your heart rate slows down. If the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems work in harmony, it indicates good health and readiness for exercise.
There are many ways to monitor the autonomic nervous system, one of which is to monitor heart rate variability. Usually this indicator is measured during Holter monitoring, which lasts for 24 hours. However, nowadays, there are many gadgets such as fitness watches or sports watches that allow the average person to monitor heart rate variability. These systems are especially effective when using a heart rate chest sensor.
How does this work in practice? For example, if your heart rate is 60 beats per minute, when you inhale it may increase slightly and when you exhale it may decrease. In this case, if we have a heartbeat interval of 1000 milliseconds at 60 beats per minute, when you breathe in, the interval may decrease to 850 milliseconds and increase to 1100 milliseconds when you breathe out. The difference between these values, subtracted from 1000 milliseconds, shows us the level of heart rate variability. The calculations are done using special complex formulas.
This monitoring is an important tool for determining the body’s readiness for physical activity and overall health. Heart rate variability, in combination with other factors, can help determine when the body is ready to perform the next workout and when to rest.
The gold standard in determining heart rate variability is SDNN, which is the standard deviation between two consecutive heartbeat intervals. Modern fitness bracelets and watches have heart rate sensors that can be used to measure heart rate variability. However, the use of these sensors can be inaccurate, and a special heart rate monitor tape should be used for a more accurate measurement.
If you use the standard deviation criteria for normal heart rhythms SDNN, values greater than 100 milliseconds are normal. The higher the heart rate variability, the better the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems function, and the faster the heart adapts to the changing conditions. If the heart rate variability falls below 100 milliseconds, it may indicate overtraining, stress, or lack of sleep. This indicator can be difficult and not available to most people, but it can be used to assess body condition and improve health.
How to Determine If You Are Ready for Your Next Workout Using Hand Clench Strength
You can also use a free method. This is a way to assess hand compression strength, which can help you determine how well you recover from your workout. This involves using a rubber trainer or a resistance band that you can squeeze and estimate your compression strength. However, this method is subjective and not always accurate.
To get a more objective assessment of compression strength, you can take an ordinary floor scale and squeeze the brush there with all your strength, recording the results. For example, if in the morning you squeezed the scales with the brush and recorded the result of 20 kilograms, then the next morning after training you can repeat this process and compare the results. If the deviation in compression strength was more than 15-20%, it could mean that you are under-repairing after your workout.
Under-recovery may indicate that your nervous system has not had time to recover from the workout, or maybe your muscles have not even fully recovered. Thus, using this method can help you determine if you need to increase your recovery time after a workout or change your training program.
The Value of the Carbon Dioxide Tolerance Test in Training and Recovery
One of the most interesting but challenging tests to assess your ability to control your breathing is the carbon dioxide tolerance test. This test shows how well you are able to control your breathing muscles. To do the test, do the following: Ideally, in the morning before you start doing anything, start taking 4 breaths through your nose for 5-10 seconds, followed by an exhalation through your mouth for the same amount of time.
Try to fill your lungs with air as much as possible and exhale as much as possible. This can be repeated four times to prepare for the fifth time. For the fifth time, after you have breathed in very hard through your nose, using a stopwatch, begin to exhale slowly through your mouth as if you had a straw in your mouth.
Make sure that you let the air out smoothly, without holding it in your lungs. Take note of time which it will take you for full emptying of lungs by contraction of intercostal muscles and a diaphragm. This will be your carbon dioxide tolerance time. This test can be especially useful for people who swim and have a habit of holding their breath.
In this context, the index is measured by your exhalation time, which is how long you can exhale after taking a deep breath. If you can exhale for less than 20 to 30 seconds, it indicates that you are under-excited and you should avoid intense training that day. If your figure is between 30 and 60 seconds, it means that you are recovered, but you should not burden your body with vigorous workouts. In this case, you should focus on supportive, less strenuous workouts. If your score is above 65 seconds, you are ready for more intense workouts that can help you improve your results.
If you can exhale for more than 80 seconds, that indicates a high level of training, and if you can handle 120 seconds, that’s a really impressive result. To evaluate your form and plan your training, it is recommended that you keep a diary of your exhalation rates.
If you notice that your exhalation time has decreased by 15-20% relative to the previous day, this may be a sign that you need to rest and wait until you have fully recovered. It is important to remember that exhalation rates are individual and can vary from person to person, so it is recommended that you monitor your rates regularly to plan your training program based on them.
Conclusion
In conclusion, using simple methods to determine nerve recovery can greatly improve the effectiveness of your workout program and keep you healthy. Lack of recovery from exercise not only affects your results, but can also lead to serious physical injuries and damage that can take a long time to heal. Therefore, you should use these techniques in your daily life to be aware of your nervous system and plan your workouts accordingly.