Enhance recovery

Why recovery is important

We face demands and challenges daily that initiate a stress reaction, but when the challenge is over, our physical and psychological state should return to the pre-stress situation (homeostasis). This physiological process is called recovery. It means that the parasympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system becomes dominant (illustrated by the green color in your Firstbeat Lifestyle Assessment), lowering the body’s activation level (decreased heart rate, increased heart rate variability) and functioning as the body’s brake.

Our psychophysiological resources are restored during recovery – and sufficient recovery is necessary to overcome the effects of stress. Sleep is naturally the most crucial time for recovery, but periodically, we should also be able to gain some recovery moments during the day, for example at work or in the hours before bed.

Good recovery is also fundamental to optimum athletic performance and of course performance in non-sport domains. Incorporating rest days and lighter workout weeks into training programs, allows both the mind and body a chance to really calm down and time to recover, repair, and ultimately, come back stronger. See the Exercise right article for a more in-depth coverage of the recovery after (intensive) exercise dynamic.

As discussed in the Overview of Stress article, regular recover is needed to downregulate our stress response and prevent stress hormones from reaching chronically (too) high levels, with the associated negative impacts on our immune system and overall health.

The importance of and need for recovery extends beyond this and includes its replenishment mechanism. When we are in an activated sympathetic state we are in what we call "catabolic mode". Catabolic means breaking down and in this state we are breaking down the large complex molecules from our food intake, into smaller ones for use as energy by the body. Energy is being used at a higher rate by our physiological systems to support this higher state of activation.

It is easy to imagine that we cannot function in this higher state of activation / high energy usage mode indefinitely. Our body needs to spend time in the opposite mode, called "anabolic mode". Anabolic means building up and in this state we process small simple molecules and built them up into larger, more complex ones and our body replenishes and heals itself.

The recovery reality

Identifying factors that help or hinder recovery is not easy because our perception of stress and recovery does not always match reality. Just because we are asleep does not mean that we get optimal recovery during sleep. Recovery does not happen by turning on a recovery switch or closing our eyes more tightly, and strong will or tough attitude do not help if we constantly overload our body, ride the stress-rollercoaster, or make poor lifestyle choices. Good recovery requires smart choices and an attitude change, especially for people who are used to overdoing it and pushing themselves beyond their limits.

Certain factors are known to compromise good recovery. For example, alcohol, illnesses, stress, excessive load (work + other stressors = load of life) and worries can weaken or even completely block the recovery process by keeping the stress system switched on. On the other hand, sufficient good-quality sleep, good physical fitness, mental well-being, balanced nutrition and a positive attitude support normal functioning of the recovery process and the re-building of our physical and mental resources.

Main recovery contributors

It is widely known and accepted that sleep is the primary source for recovery (both physically and mentally). Both sleep quantity and quality matter - it is not enough to just sleep the recommended number of hours (see the Sleep Quantity & Quality article), the restorative quality of the sleep also plays a key role. The irony is that we can be asleep but experience low restorative quality of that sleep. We are sleeping but our nervous system is not down regulating sufficiently for us to experience good recovery. The below screenshot from a Firstbeat Lifestyle Assessment illustrates this. Sufficient (7 hours, 45 minutes) sleep but the nervous system was downregulated enough for only 42% of the sleep time. So overall restorative quality of the sleep was only moderate.

We cannot use willpower to will ourselves into good restorative sleep mode. It is all the other factors in our lifestyle that influence what happens when we are asleep. For example our fitness level influences our nervous system resilience with a higher fitness level enabling our nervous system to switch to recovery mode faster and better. And a good sleep hygiene routine paves the way for our nervous system to transition into parasympathetic mode when we head to bed. If your lifestyle assessment indicates the restorative effect of sleep is not yet optimal, head to The practices to restore or enhance sleep article to find out how to rectify this.

The other contributor is our day time recovery, we call them micro-moments of recovery. Short (compared to what we experience during sleep) periods of recovery, built into our daily routine, where we allow our systems to regularly downregulate and go into parasympathetic mode. These reset moments are important to downregulate stress hormones as described in the Overview of Stress article but also to maintain resilience in our nervous system, to maintain its ability to switch fast and effectively between its two modes (activation and recovery). You can liken it to a swing - if you don't regularly use a swing, its rotating mechanism will start to seize up and the swing movement will be harder and smaller when you come to use it again.

When the nervous system is resilient, it enables us to quickly activate ourselves and perform when needed and similarly gives us the capacity to downregulate ourselves really well to recover and recharge. So there is both a health and performance benefit associated with good and regular day-time recovery!

Daytime recovery strategies

What follows is a list of evidence based strategies that promote recovery (not just relaxation). They can be used as strategies to start the day, inject mirco-moments of recovery throughout the day as well as strategies as part of your winding down routine for good restorative sleep.

For many people these strategies show up as restorative (green) in the lifestyle assessment. However, it is important to note that day-time recovery can be quite individual - what generates recovery for me, may not have the same effect for you and vice versa. This Firstbeat blog illustrates this well and it is important therefore to experiment, ideally when conducting a lifestyle assessment to see the effect it has for you.

One of the most interesting (but not entirely surprising) findings from our work with the Firstbeat Lifestyle Assessment is that purposeful work (as in engaging in work that aligns with your purpose, work that gives you a strong sense of meaning) can actually be physiologically restorative.

This is illustrated in this screen capture. Between 9 and 10.30pm this person was in recovery mode whilst engaged in work activities.

Another key insight is that relaxation does not necessarily equal recovery. For example we find that for many people watching TV / Netflix (or similar) is not promoting recovery. The overall experience may be one of relaxation (which is beneficial in its own right of course) but physiologically we remain activated.

Not necessarily an issue but if increasing the amount of awake time recovery is important to you, it is perhaps useful to understand that some of these relaxation past-times may not be the right strategy.

This is illustrated well in this screen capture. Following a very restorative social visit, turning on a Netflix series has a physiologically activating effect.

Important to note also is that whilst a particular activity may not show up as green, it may still have a down regulating effect and ready you for moving into a restorative state.

You can see in this screen capture how both heart rate (the black line) and the red bars are coming down during a meditation session. There is no restorative effects during the session but things are heading in the good direction and result in a period of recovery immediately after.

Quick & easy recovery strategies

Here are some go-to strategies ideal for daytime micro-moments of recovery. They are quick and easy and can be done virtually everywhere.

The mindful reset: for one minute (or longer) turn your attention to your surrounds and notice (and really focus in on) three things you can see, two things you can hear and one thing you can smell.
Take your lunch break: rather then eating your lunch at your desk, get up and go outside and eat your lunch in the park and / or go for a walk around the area. You can combine this with various of the other strategies (particularly #1, #4 and #5).
Use visualisation: Picture yourself in a peaceful place that you love. It could be the ocean at sunset, a mountain stream, a beautiful lush forest, a secluded beach, a field of wildflowers, or any place you enjoy and promotes relaxed feelings for you. Use all your senses as you visualize the place in this imagery. Hear the sounds of the waves, sense the warmth of the sun, feel the breeze on your face, and smell the scent of the flowers.
Shifting through neutral: a simple technique based on a cars gear stick mechanism whereby you need to shift through neutral to go up into a higher gear. Adopting this technique involves take a microbreak after a particular activity and before you start the next (e.g. taking a few low and slow breaths after you have completed writing a report or having a short walk around the office building in between meetings).
Take a breath: for just a few minutes, tune into and become fully aware of your breathing and imagine there is a balloon in your belly which you gently inflate during your inbreath and slowly deflate during your outbreath (you can put a hand on your belly if you like). Then for 10 breaths or so, inhale on a count of 3, hold for a count of 1, exhale on a count of 4 and hold for a count of 2 (or the simpler version: inhale on a count of 5 and exhale on a count of 5). Optional: after your tenth breath, take one more full but relaxed inhale and hold at the top for a count of five. Exhale slowly and fully, drop your hands and feel the release of all tension and stress.
Grounding: sit comfortably on a chair and lift your left leg of the ground so that your foot is hovering only just off the floor. Hold for as long as you can and completely tune into all the sensations in your left leg. Swap over to the right leg and repeat the exercise.
Progressive muscle relaxation: this is particularly useful if your default stress response includes a tensing up of muscles. The technique involves alternating tension and relaxation in all the body's major muscle groups. Refer to this guide for instructions.
Purposeful work: it is difficult for most of use to be engaged in purposeful work all the time or to find purpose in more mundane tasks. But let’s consider possibilities here! How can you create time and space to engage with purposeful work for some of the time on most days? How can you find renewed purpose in the less inspiring tasks you have to get done?

Recovery practices

Below are various strategies that require a bit more time and are ideal as a regular, daily or weekly, practice during the evening or in the weekend.

Adopt a "low and slow" breathing practice: low means breathing (mostly) through the activity in the diaphragm and slow means reducing the pace of breathing to around 6 breaths per minute (if you are comfortable breathing at that pace). Refer to this guideline.
Use the 4-7-8 breathing practice as a way to overcome distraction and entering a more relaxed state.
Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four. Hold your breath for a count of seven. Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle another three (or more) times.
This technique enables your mind and body to focus on regulating your breath, instead of repeated thoughts about what happened during the day or worries about tomorrow, that are keeping you awake. This and the “low and slow” technique, bring your nervous system back in balance and helps to downregulate the “fight-or-flight” response. The technique was developed by Dr Andrew Weil and is based on ancient yogic breathing called pranayama. It is particularly useful for people who experience mild sleep disturbances, anxiety and stress and optimal effects come with sustained (daily) practice.
Put on some Mozart: Legend has it that Mozart collaborated with a psychiatrist who asked Mozart to compose music at a particular frequency know to have therapeutic effects. Various research studies have since determined that music at particular frequencies can influence brainwave activity and reduce sympathetic activity and therefore promote (among other things) recovery.
Adopt a mindfulness / meditation practice: meditation tends to produce recovery and shows up as green in a lifestyle assessment for almost everyone. Whilst a sustained daily practice produces most benefit, even a 10 minute practice every now and then will help you to reset and experience recovery. Apps such a Headspace, Calm and others make it super easy to experiment with different types.
Yoga, Tai Chi, Qigong all have a calming and restorative effect for both our body and mind. Classes and apps are abound with styles and routines available for beginners through to advanced.
Connecting with others: Positive / good quality relationships benefit us in many ways and when we positively connect with others we can experience it as a restorative activity. Even "micro-moments of positive connection" promote recovery and restore us psychologically and physiologically.
Time in nature: research indicates that people who live in close proximity to a park are happier than those that don't, even if they never actually visit the park. Nature is important for us and stimulates recovery for us human beings.

An additional five that involve an investment but can be hugely restorative:

Meditation with Muse: Muse is a research-grade EEG device that passively senses your brain activity and translates it into the guiding sounds of weather to help you stay calm & focused.
Acupuncture: Eastern medicine has long known about the restorative impact of acupuncture and is commonly available across the western world as well.
Floating: Floating promotes recovery through sensory deprivation by spending time in an enclosed tank that is filled with 30cm of water heated to skin temperature and containing over 500kgs of Epsom salt. The salt increases the density of the water allowing your body to float effortlessly without any conscious input; a zero gravity environment. One hour in a floatation tank may be equivalent to 4 hours quality rest.
Massage: Bodily manipulation through massage tends to activate the parasympathetic branch of the nervous system and therefore promotes recovery and restoration.
Shaki mat: A shakti mat is based on the principles of the ancient nail bed, originating in India. The up to 5000 spikes stimulate the nerve endings and blood circulation and as a result more blood flows to the back and less to the head. Lying on a Shakti mat, reduces the stress hormone adrenaline and boosts our natural pain killer, endorphins. A shakti mat helps therefore to release stress, quieten down a busy head and can reduce pain. It may be hard to believe but many people report falling asleep on their Shakti mat!

Reflection questions

A range of ideas to inspire you to enhance day-time recovery. Now reflect on these questions to help turn inspiration into action.

Which strategy(ies) immediately resonated with you?
How can you start experimenting with this / these for the next 10 days, starting now?
What might stand in your way of doing this? How can you bust / mitigate this barrier?
How will you hold yourself accountable to make sure you do what you say you will do?