**Why Do We Instinctively Stretch When We Wake Up?** It’s t..
Added 2022-04-21 16:14:57 +0000 UTC**Why Do We Instinctively Stretch When We Wake Up?** It’s the first thing most of us do upon waking up — stretch and yawn. This movement has a name: pandiculating. A pandiculation is defined as the constriction of muscles, releasing them, which is followed by a stretch. Animals, especially cats and dogs, do it effortlessly and about 40 times a day. And in humans, the action starts during the gestation period, which probably explains why this behavior is so innate. One of the most common reasons behind the phenomenon is that when we sleep, the muscles lose tone, and fluid tends to accumulate along the back. Therefore, stretching helps to massage the fluid gently back into a normal position, realigning the muscles, writes Luis Villazon for Science Focus. In addition, both stretching and yawning are known to be stress relievers and hence, pandiculation can also be seen as a way to decrease stress before the day, explains Nicholas Licameli, a physical therapist. This full-body stretch activates the parasympathetic nervous system that is responsible for the body’s ability to rest, digest and recover, and increases the bl0od flow helping the body restore conscious, voluntary control over the muscles.
