Get Relief in Sickness to Perform Stretching Exercises

Exercising and working out each day should be some of the most important activities on your to-do list. Exercising not only helps you to stay fit and active but also helps to improve the immune system of your body so that your body can prevent the occurrences of diseases or harmful infections. One must practice exercises and yoga daily to get rid of different types of ailments, such as inflammation, flu, viral diseases, and so on. Stretching exercises are ways of working out to increase the flexibility in your body so that your bones and muscle joints are in good health. Moreover, when you perform stretching exercises, it helps you to keep your mind focused and thus it takes good care of your mental health as well. There are different types of poses and positions that are performed while you are practicing stretching exercises. But there arises a question of whether it is ideal to practice stretching exercises when you are sick. Moreover, it is also important to know that even if you can practice stretching exercises when you are sick, which positions should you practice more?

This article provides you with a detailed account of stretching exercises, especially the ones that should be done when you are feeling sick. Read the article till the end and know which exercises are the best for you and recover faster from your sickness.

Are stretching exercises beneficial in your sickness?

Though all stretching exercises are not beneficial to get rid of all types of illnesses such as flu, common cold, and similar other ailments, there is a wide range of stretching exercises and yoga poses that are often recommended by experts to be performed for helping to recover from different types of health issues, sinus congestion, gut problems, issues related to digestion, and so on. In fact, there have been scientific experiments and research studies (Source) that claim that practicing certain poses of yoga and stretching exercises can help you to get rid of inflammatory health problems, as many people nowadays are found to suffer from health issues caused due to inflammation. Moreover, practicing yoga and stretching exercises can also help you to take good care of your mental health and well-being, because these exercises increase focus and mindfulness and so, reduce the risks of developing mental health issues like stress, anxiety, depression, and so on. So, it can be said, that stretching exercises are more or less beneficial to help you recover from different types of illnesses.

If you are performing stretching exercises while you are sick, make sure that you have talked to your healthcare expert and asked for his/her advice on whether you can practice stretching exercises based on the severity of your illness, so that you do not have to face any negative effects of these exercises on your health.

Perform stretching exercises when you are sick

This might be a very pertinent question that can occur in your mind, so we are here to answer. When you are sick, it is very important for you to take medications and follow the restrictions as suggested by your healthcare expert. It is also a fact that doing stretching exercises only will not make you recover from your illness. But stretching exercises are highly beneficial for you if you are suffering from physical ailments such as joint pain, sore throat, congestion in the chest, sneezing, cough and cold, fever, headaches and body pain, arthritis, and fatigue, then practicing stretching exercises while you are sick might be highly recommended for you. If possible, you can also take necessary suggestions from your healthcare expert as well.

Benefits of performing stretching exercises when you are sick

Now that you know about stretching exercises, it is very important for you to know why it is important that you should keep doing some stretching poses when you are sick. Some of the major benefits of performing stretching exercises when you are sick can be given below:

• Stretching exercises help in increasing the flexibility of the bones and muscles in your body
• Some stretching poses work wonders for curing back pain
• Your range of motion gets increased
• The overall physical performance of the body is improved
• Stretches help you with better blood circulation
• Your body posture is corrected
• Takes good care of your mind, because stretching poses help you to release stress, anxiety, and tension headaches, and stay in a focused and relaxed mood

The following stretching poses to practice when you are sick:

When you are sick, you need to follow certain poses while doing stretching exercises. It is necessary to follow those stretching poses because when you are sick, doing strenuous exercises can make you even more uncomfortable and you might start feeling unwell. So, do only those exercises that are mild, fit for your health, and will help you to recover from your sickness. Here is a complete list of all the essential stretching exercises that you can do when you are feeling sick:

1. Legs up the wall:

This is the most common stretching exercise technique that you can practice while you are sick because this exercise requires a simple pose in an inversion pattern. This allows for reversing the flow of blood to your brain. Such a healthy circulation of blood will help you to reduce the pain and swelling in your feet and legs. In the case of other inversion poses, you need to keep the head below but such poses can make you feel dizzy and can exert more pressure on the heart, which is quite uncomfortable if you are sick. So, in sickness, this is a favorable stretching pose for you. Besides these, the leg-up-the-wall stretching pose will help you to calm down and lower your stress levels. This one is quite a gentle pose that helps you to get rid of anxiety and mental health issues. The inverted pose with legs up the wall will also help you to recover easily if you have a cold or flu along with mild to severe headaches.

2. Modified Camel pose:

This one is another easy stretching exercise position that is quite beneficial for you when you are suffering from cold and congestion stuffed in the chest with thick phlegm stuck inside the lungs. As per experts’ opinion, the modified camel pose is the best stretching exercise for curing chest congestion, because this pose requires you to open the chest like a camel posture, and this particular posture is beneficial for clearing the mucus that has been stuck inside for a long time.

3. Supported Child’s pose:

The supported child’s pose is another stretching exercise position that can be practiced both during illness and even when you are in good health. The supported child’s pose is a very gentle posture that allows you to be in a stretched and relaxed form as there is a focus on breath. Moreover, this stretching posture also helps you to get rid of nauseating tendencies, high levels of stress, and related discomforts because nausea often arises out of situations that are highly stressful for a person.

4. Cobra pose:

This stretching exercise is very similar to the modified camel pose. Just like the modified camel pose, the cobra pose also involves expanding the chest and this position helps in better, deeper, and cooler, breaths. This pose can be done for clearing chest congestion as well and will be beneficial for reducing your overall experiences of pain.

5. Rag doll pose:

This is another easy stretching pose that should be done when you are sick. This pose helps you to get relief from headaches, which might occur as a result of high stress, tension, anxiety, and other related problems. Try to relax your neck, shoulders, and upper back portion with the rag doll pose and it is an easy-to-do pose that can be done even if you are sick.

6. Downward-facing dog:

Downward-facing dog is probably the most unique stretching exercise position that you can do being evenly relaxed when you are not feeling well. This pose helps you to stretch your hamstrings, calves, and Achilles tendons. Moreover, in this unique position, there is a mild inversion that allows you to take down the pressure, especially when you have difficulties like headaches or sinus pains because this exercise helps in improving your blood flow. Besides these, studies and recent research works (Source) are now suggesting that the downward dog pose is a unique pose for getting relief from the common cold and flu as well. This particular stretching position is also beneficial for your mind and overall mental well-being.