To understand why we need to take daily recovery into account in our everyday lives, let's take a look a little deeper into what exactly we are stressed about during the day and how this overall stress is actually relieved. In order for our involuntary, autonomic nervous system to know whether to step on the gas or the brake in a given situation, we need various information collectors and messengers from the body to the brain before the moment of decision.
During the day, the body and mind are exposed to a variety of stresses - not only external pressures and stimuli, but also internal sensory information and stimuli produced by thinking. Recovery is not something that only happens during sleep or rest, but should be part of the daily rhythm, as we also build the quality of the next night's sleep with our daytime choices.
Recovery is not just something that happens during sleep or vacation, but should be part of our daily rhythm, as we also build the quality of the next night's sleep with our daytime choices.
Daytime recovery means that the nervous system shifts from activity to a state of rest for a few moments during the day. This gives the nervous system the opportunity to regulate its own state of alertness in a balanced way – so there is no need to wait for a night's sleep to relieve the overall load.
What really burdens us during the day?
A large part of the stress comes from constant external and internal sensory stimuli that the body and nervous system process, even if we are not always aware of it.
Of the senses, the functions of sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch are the senses that are more familiar to us and easier to understand. In addition to these, we also have two other internal sensory systems in the body: interoception brings information about internal sensory perception, and proprioception, known as the sense of position and movement, is strongly related to body awareness.
In addition to sensory overload, we are also able to use our thoughts and emotions to create situations in which the reality of the images is not always true, but the body and nervous system react as if it were a real threat – triggering a stress reaction without an external cause.
In the same way, we can also use the mind to calm the nervous system by creating different thought patterns – our nervous system does not know whether the image in question is true. It should also be noted that enthusiastic activity is just as taxing on the nervous system if we do not recover from it.
It should also be noted that doing something enthusiastically is just as taxing on the nervous system if you don't have time to recover from it.
With the help of our senses, thoughts and emotions, we can both excite and calm the nervous system. We can influence these stressors, for example, through control of the physical environment, physical and mental imagery exercises.
Senses – Nervous system communication channels
The nervous system is constantly receiving information through various senses. This information collected by the senses directly affects whether the nervous system is activated or calmed down.
Factors that can cause stress on different senses include:
- Vision: brightness, contrast, display terminals
- Hearing: noise, loud sounds, speech, background noise
- Senses: touch, temperature, clothing
- Sense of smell and taste: strong or unpleasant sensations
- Proprioception: uncomfortable positions, sitting, posture adjustment
- Interoception: hunger, thirst, fatigue, breathing, heart rate, temperature
I could explore these last two lesser-known sensory systems in a little more detail here.
Proprioception and interoception – internal body communication
Proprioception is a positional sense system in which information about the body's position and movement is brought to the brain through tactile feedback from joints, muscles, and skin. This positional sense allows us, for example, to feel the presence of our hands even with our eyes closed, and when combined with other senses, it enables us to walk in the dark and practice balance.
Interoception is a sensory system that brings information to the brain about the body's internal functions: breathing, heartbeat, stomach activity, temperature, and even stress levels. These messages often travel to the brain via the vagus nerve and directly affect how we feel at the moment - calm, irritable, relaxed, or tense.
If the information from the internal sensory system is inaccurate or the body interprets it as threatening, the result can be a stress reaction, even if there are no external stimuli.
If the information from the internal sensory system is inaccurate or the body interprets it as threatening, a stress reaction can result, even in the absence of external stimuli. Similarly, when safe and calming internal feelings arise in the body, recovery naturally begins.
Neurosonic has a strong effect on both of these systems by strengthening the sense of position from the body to the brain and by bringing a sense of security to the vagus nerve through vibration.
Vibration soothes the body into a state of recovery
Neurosonic is based on mechanical, physically felt low-frequency vibrations that travel throughout the body, stimulating receptors in the skin, muscles and internal organs. The body automatically begins to resonate with the vibrations, balancing its functions.
Neurosonic's various programs create clear and rhythmic sensations in the body, which strengthen the sensory information that travels from the body to the brain along the ascending nerve pathways. This ascending information is carried, for example, by the vagus nerve, which is the most significant messenger affecting the recovery nervous system.
Neurosonic's vibration helps the body recognize a state of rest and safety, allowing recovery to begin. It does not require any active performance from the user, but rather allows the nervous system to reorganize and achieve optimal alertness through calming the body.
Spatial planners as regulators of recovery
The spaces we spend time in can either consume us or sustain us. Daytime recovery occurs where a person can truly rest for a moment – and these are exactly the places that today's spatial design should create.
Key factors in a recovery-supportive environment include:
- Reducing sensory overload (visually, acoustically, with materials)
- Opportunity for retreat and a sense of control
- Multi-purpose facilities and reservation systems
- Technologies that effortlessly activate the body's own recovery systems
- Materials and forms that support the internal sensory experience
Neurosonic is used as a recovery solution in various spaces: workplace break rooms, hotels, educational institutions, sensory rooms, airports and gyms.
An effortless solution for recovery from Neurosonic
Daytime recovery is an essential part of well-being and can be influenced. Stress cannot be completely eliminated, but its effects can be balanced. By understanding the role of the senses in recovery, we can influence when and how the nervous system calms down during the day.
Daytime recovery is an essential part of well-being and can be influenced. The load cannot be completely eliminated, but its effects can be balanced.
Optimal alertness, daytime recovery, and stress management support the next night's sleep quality – and after a good night's sleep, the recovery cycle only gets stronger. Neurosonic offers an effortless and effective solution for recovery in all kinds of conditions.
About the author:
Ipi Jaatinen
Occupational therapist (BA) and Neurosonic's Sales Team Lead in Finland.
Ipi has a strong background in supporting nervous system function and recovery, and she brings to Neurosonic both therapeutic expertise and practical experience in how recovery solutions can be integrated into everyday life and different environments.