Everyone wants to relax. But our hectic modern lives often mean relaxation gets forgotten. In this blog post, you learn about relaxation and its benefits for your health and sleep. You also discover:
Ready for enhanced relaxation and better sleep? Let’s get right to it!
Your body has 2 natural states — fight-or-flight and relaxation. The first state keeps us alive and safe from danger. The second lets us rest, digest, and recover. In a person with normal stress levels, the body automatically relaxes once danger passes. Your blood pressure, heart rate, digestive functioning, and hormonal levels all return to normal.
But in our modern world, more and more people are stuck in a chronic fight-or-flight state. This is what we call chronic stress. And chronic stress can have
long-term negative effects on your overall health.
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Luckily, there are deep relaxation techniques you can use to help your body and mind return to normal, healthy functioning.
Deep relaxation translates to better energy, sleep, and coping abilities. It also gives us a sense of calmness and confidence.
Relaxation improves your sleep by helping you to get in the zone. By “the zone,” we mean a relaxed state that slows your heart rate, lowers your blood pressure, relieves physical and emotional tension, and eliminates external stimulation (electronic devices and noise).
Why must your body be in this zone? Because that’s when it releases melatonin and the other hormones that send you off to sleep. And one of the best ways to get into this zone is to engage in relaxation techniques like meditation and breathing.
The right relaxing chair can be the ideal companion for your sleep and relaxation routine. It can release tension and fatigue in the body, making it easier to quiet your mind before you practice your favorite relaxation techniques.Â
Obviously, the more your relaxing chair helps you relax, the more you feel the positive effects of relaxation on your sleep cycles and stress management.
There are many types of relaxing chair on the market. One special type recreates the ideal relaxation position called “neutral body posture.” And this is the zero-gravity chair.
A zero-gravity chair places you in a position that melts away the aches and pains of the day. It is the perfect tool to take your relaxation and pre-sleep routine to a new level. Browse our entire range of zero-gravity chairs for indoor and outdoor use.
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A zero-gravity chair is a lounge-style relaxing chair. You can tilt it back to an angle of between 120° and 135°. With a leg rest to support your calves, the chair elevates your legs and feet above your heart to give you a weightless sensation like that experienced by astronauts in space stations.
In this zero-gravity position, you feel tension and fatigue float away as your muscles and joints relax. Go to our explainer for more details about the features and benefits of the zero-gravity chair.
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By helping your body to let go of tension, a zero-gravity chair prepares your mind for relaxation. This means that you can get the most out of deep relaxation techniques for better sleep and health.
As we’ve seen, a relaxing chair can elevate your relaxation and improve sleep. But there is a way you can further improve the effectiveness of deep relaxation. And that is to take your relaxing chair outdoors and practice your routine in your backyard.
Relaxing in the right chair outdoors can boost your health and sleep.
The outdoors gives you fresh air. And as everyone knows, fresh air blows the cobwebs away, enhancing your clarity of thought and concentration. The outdoors also gives you natural sunlight, which boosts your mood.
And of course, outdoors is where you find nature. Nature has a positive effect on our physical and mental well-being. Just remember how people flocked to outdoor spaces like parks and woods during Covid. And studies show that connectedness with nature may be associated with lower depression and anxiety.
To create a relaxing outdoor space, think about things like wind protection, sun exposure, and shading. You want to be warm enough in winter, but not too warm in summer.
If you’ve a big garden, you can already soak up the health benefits of nature. If you don’t, try recreating a natural environment with potted herbs, flowers, vegetables, and trees.
As for the right relaxing chair, this depends on your outdoor space. If you have a small space, consider a foldable pop-up chair like our Design Chair. Its 3-layer BeComfort® padding makes it the perfect chair to relax and unwind in. It’s also small and has a clever folding mechanism for easy storage after you’ve finished your relaxation routine.
If you have a bigger space, why not invest in the ultimate relaxation tool — the Reclining Chair BeComfort. This has the same comfortable padding as the Design Chair. But as it’s a zero-gravity chair, it tilts right back for extra relaxation.
Okay, so we know relaxation is beneficial for your health. And we know the right chair can elevate your relaxation routine. But what does an effective relaxation routine look like? What are the techniques? When do you do it?
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Sleep is simple, when you think about it. As the light of the day fades and your daily activities wind down, the body produces hormones to prepare for sleep. But in our modern world, artificial light and hectic daytime schedules often interfere with our natural sleep process.
Follow these tips for the perfect evening ritual for better sleep:
There are many relaxation techniques you can do in your favorite relaxing chair. Pick one of our zero-gravity chairs that tilt back for extra relaxation. Then try these 2 relaxation techniques for best results:
This depends on your routine and goals. If you like to take a power nap, settle into your relaxing chair in the afternoon to recharge for the evening.
If your job is stressful, take a break in your relaxing chair at the end of your working day. This can help you process the events of the day and gain clarity of thought.
Evening time, well after dinner, is the best time to sit in your relaxing chair as you prepare for sleep. Do your relaxation routine at sunset so that the fading light helps trigger melatonin and other sleep hormones.
There are a few key features you want to prioritize when choosing the perfect relaxing chair. These are:
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An indoor relaxing chair needs to be sturdy, durable, adjustable, and comfortable. An outdoor chair does, too. But it also needs to tick a few extra boxes.
The material should be breathable to stop you from sweating while you relax. It should be permeable so that it dries quickly if it gets rained on. And it
should be UV-resistant to prevent it from fading and wearing out prematurely.
The frame should be rust-resistant, especially in coastal areas and humid climates.
The entire LAFUMA zero-gravity chair range comes with breathable and/or permeable materials. Their robust steel frames are painted with polyester powder to protect against corrosion.
Browse our full range of zero-gravity chairs and boost your relaxation and sleep.
