Stress is a normal part of life. It is our bodies’ way of responding to a change in the environment around us, whether that is real or perceived (Office on Women’s Health, 2019). Stress becomes problematic when it is prolonged and there is no relief between stressors. The pelvic floor appears to be particularly vulnerable to our psychological state, meaning that these tissues are likely to experience the negative effects of stress and anxiety.
What exactly is the pelvic floor?
The pelvic floor is a complex area with a span of muscles, tendons, nerves , blood vessels, ligaments and fascia (connective tissue). The muscles sit in the base of the pelvic girdle bones which join at the pubic symphysis in front and the sacroiliac joints in the back. The muscles attach underneath the pubic bone and join into the pelvic sidewalls, sitting bones and the coccyx bone at the base on the spin. Think of them as muscles in a bowl shape, with a trampoline-like action, providing lift and hold for pelvic organs to close the sphincters and prevent loss of fluid, wind and solids. Just like a trampoline lifts on recoil, these muscles can be voluntarily lifted ( known as the Knack), before the additional load of sneezing, running or lifting a weight.
The role of these muscles is maintaining continence, preventing internal organ descent, enhancing sexual pleasure, supporting the growing uterus and working with other muscles to support the spine and pelvis. As you can see, these ‘down under’ muscles are multitasking achievers coordinating various tasks every day of our lives.
How Stress Can Impact the Pelvic Floor?
Stress can cause your pelvic floor to become too tight because, when you’re tense you tend to hold your breath, tighten your muscles, and bear down on your pelvic floor. Add in having that area weakened from childbirth and you’ve got a recipe for one stressed out pelvic floor.
Stress and the tightening of pelvic floor muscles can lead to:
• Urinary frequency (increased trips to the bathroom)
• Urgency (strong sensation to use the bathroom, feels hard to control)
• Constipation
• Night-time urination (waking up more than once to visit the washroom)
• Sexual pain or dysfunction
• Pelvic girdle pain (feelings of tension radiating into the hips, pubic bone, low back, groin)
How To Relax Your Pelvic Floor?
When it comes to managing my stress, I love yoga. With its mind-blowing benefits, yoga acts as my personal shock absorber in this chaotic world.
If you feel stressed out, look no further! 2500 years ago, the Yoga Sutras of Patañjali revealed the ultimate relaxation formula:
Yoga citta vritti nirodhah – Yoga ends the mind’s disturbances
But that’s not all! Science backs it up too. A ground-breaking study showed that meditators have more gray matter in crucial brain regions responsible for attention, mindfulness, and emotional control. Choose your meditation style: focused attention, open monitoring, transcendental meditation, or movement meditation like yoga. Each method uniquely empowers you to navigate stress with ease. For me, yoga is the game-changer. It allows me to observe my thoughts without being ravaged by them.
Here are some of my favourite yoga posture for happy pelvic floor.
A word from a women`s health physio
Managing your stress can help you keep your pelvic floor healthy and give you one less thing to stress out about.
Whether you’re wanting to avoid pelvic floor problems or overcome them, I’m here for you.
