Seldom is our posture—the way we stand and sit—genetic or uncontrollable. It is only the outcome of our bones being misaligned due to long-term muscular strain. We accumulate this muscular tension over time as a result of our regular movement patterns and how we handle stress.
Put otherwise, our typical posture is determined by our muscle memory. At the conclusion of the post, I'll explain how to retrain your muscle memory and improve your posture, but first, have a look at these 10 shocking ways that your posture impacts your health!
Your testosterone levels might rise or fall depending on how you stand.
When Harvard University's Amy Cuddy, Columbia University's Dana Carney, and Andy Yap examined the effects of "power posing," they discovered that posture directly affects testosterone levels.
Test subjects in the study were required to sit in either a high-power or low-power posture for two minutes. High-power poses were wide and expansive, requiring the subject to move their limbs out from the center of their body and stretch their body to occupy greater space. Low-power postures caused subjects to occupy less space and draw their limbs closer to the center of their bodies.
According to the study, testosterone levels in high-power posers increased while those in low-power posers decreased after just two minutes.
Although it is frequently associated with masculine sex, testosterone affects numerous vital physiological processes in both men and women. Apart from controlling libido and reproductive health, testosterone also encourages the growth of muscles and bones, red blood cell synthesis, skin collagen production, mood enhancement, improved spatial memory, and an elevation in self-worth and confidence.
Imagine the impact of adopting a particular posture for a lifetime if just two minutes may cause a detectable change in our testosterone levels.
Learn more about postures that use high and low power.
Additionally, watch Amy Cuddy's Ted Talk!
Your cortisol levels might rise or fall depending on your posture.
The effects of power posing on cortisol levels were examined in the same 2010 study. Two minutes later, the cortisol levels of the low-power posers increased while those of the high-power posers decreased.
When we experience stress, our bodies release the hormone cortisol. It can support us in managing transient stresses such as physical attack. Regrettably, prolonged elevated cortisol levels—which a lot of us encounter due to persistent psychological stress—can be linked to an extensive array of health issues:
compromised immune system
Heart conditions
Gaining weight
Insanity
Diabetes type 2
imbalances with other key hormones such progesterone, testosterone, estrogen, and DHEA
Depression and mood fluctuations
Thyroid abnormalities
Abortion
Low desire
loss of brain cells
loss of memory
Alzheimer's illness
increased need to pee
a rise in thirst
Strain markings
impeded cell regeneration and repair
Loss of bone and muscle
Skin and hair issues
Störung der Digestion
Tiredness
Given all of the detrimental implications of high cortisol levels, we should absolutely avoid adopting a low-power posture as a habit.
Your ability to tolerate discomfort might be affected by your posture.
Our perception of pain is also impacted by power posturing. The impact of striking a dominating or submissive position on our pain health was investigated in a different 2010 research. The results were unambiguous: test subjects' pain threshold rose after just 20 seconds of maintaining a dominating stance.
We experience less pain when we power pose because it offers us a sense of control. According to studies, we can tolerate more discomfort when we believe we have control over a situation. Similarly, we have a lower pain threshold when we believe that we are powerless over our bodies. Moreover, power posing raises testosterone levels, which further enhances our pain threshold.
For those with chronic pain, the link between posture and pain threshold might be detrimental. When you're in pain, you can automatically assume a low-power posture out of exhaustion, depression, helplessness, worry, or a need to protect your body. Then, as we've discovered, your low-power posture may contribute to your inability to release yourself from these emotions by interfering with your hormone balance and pain threshold.
Arthritis, disc degeneration, and sciatica can all be brought on by poor posture.
Although this may not appear alarming at first, most individuals are unaware of the clear correlation between many common spine issues and their posture. Since the spine naturally exhibits lordotic curvature in the lumbar and cervical regions, these issues typically arise in these regions.
Your vertebrae and discs are compressed by the persistently tense muscles in your neck and lower back. This can easily result in disc thinning, ruptured or bulging discs, osteophyte development, and nerve compression.
Although most of these disorders are considered inevitable structural problems because of the way our bodies are utilized, most of them are actually functional in nature. This blog article has further information regarding mechanical back discomfort.
Postural imbalances raise your chance of injury if you're an athlete.
You'll be more prone to injury when playing sports or working out if your posture is misaligned in any manner, such as if your lower back is stiff and arched, one hip is higher than the other, or your legs are turned inward or outward.
In a two-year study involving soccer players, researchers at the Sports Injuries Research Centre in Limerick, Ireland discovered a correlation between dysfunctional postural habits such as swayback, lumbar lordosis, kyphosis, scoliosis, and lower leg misalignment and muscle strains as well as back, knee, and ankle injuries.
Similar findings have been found in other research, which health that anterior cruciate ligament injuries are caused by knee and ankle misalignment and that athletes with bad lower back posture are more prone to hamstring strains.
These postural problems might not affect someone who spends their whole day sitting down. However, discomfort and damage are nearly certain when athletes overstretch their misaligned joints, whether by using a lot of weight or performing an exercise repeatedly.
You may be more susceptible to tension headaches due to your posture.
- Any kind of misalignment of the spine, including rounded or forward head posture, scoliotic curves, and arched backs, results in long-term health in the neck, shoulder, and back muscles. Similar to a pulley system, this frequently causes stress in the face, mouth, and muscles covering the skull (occipitalis and temporalis).
According to the National Headache Foundation, stress headaches account for 78% of all headache cases. The usual sensation of a tension headache is dull and painful, like a band tightening around your head. If you get headaches, think about how your posture and persistently tense muscles may be creating or aggravating the problem.
Blood pressure can be elevated by your posture.
Pay close attention to #7 through #10 if your posture is rounded like the man in this picture.
Chronically tense muscles in the chest and abdomen force the head and rib cage downward and forward, causing postural kyphosis. Although we used to observe this posture mostly in the elderly, a growing number of teenagers and even young toddlers are developing round posture as a result of spending too much time staring down at their phones.
The thoracic cavity is heavily compressed by rounded posture and the resulting muscular tension, which raises blood pressure. You should begin learning how to relieve the chronic tightness in your chest and abdomen as soon as possible if you have the least propensity to round forward. Furthermore, don't panic if your rounded posture has already become noticeable—it's never too late to learn how to relax your muscles and straighten your posture!
