I commonly feel a moment of extreme fatigue and drowsiness after a good back cracking. Why?

July 19, 2007 9:38 AM

I commonly feel a moment of extreme fatigue and drowsiness after a good back cracking. Why?
posted by andythebean to health (5 comments total)

Possibly some kind of endorphin release, or the result of a muscle (or muscle group) that had been tense relaxing due to a change in posture?

Is the feeling at all analagous to how you feel during a massage?
posted by onshi at 9:59 AM on July 19, 2007

Do you hold your breath during your back cracking/stretching? If so, there could be some sort of autonomic reaction to do with this sort of thing. I have the same general reaction from a good stretch, and I find that I tend hold my breath during.
posted by cortex at 10:18 AM on July 19, 2007

http://www.google.com/search?q=back+crack+endorphins
`---> "Apparently back cracking releases endorphins and such, which your body likes"
posted by unformatt at 10:19 AM on July 19, 2007

From this chiro's website: "Many people, particularly younger people, regularly "crack" their own spines. This is done for a number of different reasons, the primary one being to feel better. When the spine is "popped", the body reacts as if it had been injured by releasing chemicals called enkephalins and endorphins. These chemicals are part of the pain control system of the body. Endorphins and enkephalins biochemically are as effective as morphine in controlling pains. Therefore, when your spine is traumatized, these chemicals are released in the region of trauma thereby reducing pains for several hours to one day...."
posted by onshi at 2:49 PM on July 19, 2007

hmm. thanks
posted by andythebean at 2:23 PM on July 20, 2007