What are the neurological, neurovascular, and psychological responses to stretching across the general population?

Stretching is extensively studied and implemented to improve flexibility, as a component of warm-ups to prepare for activity, to mitigate musculotendinous injury risk, improve cardiovascular health parameters, and optimize post-exercise recovery, among others. However, less attention has focused on the effects of stretching on neurological, neurovascular, and psychological outcomes. Stress represents a pervasive element in contemporary life, with chronic mental and physical stress contributing to adverse health consequences. Evidence suggests that a bout of stretching can acutely increase sympathetic activation stimulation. However, following both acute and chronic stretching, direct and indirect measures of stress show improvements, including reductions in heart rate, blood pressure, sympathetic‒parasympathetic control, cortisol release, and psychological stress (e.g., anxiety scales) along with modifications in heart rate variability and other related changes. This review synthesizes current knowledge regarding stretch-induced adaptations to neurological, neurovascular, and psychological parameters and is intended to assist researchers, health and fitness professionals, university level students, and informed fitness enthusiasts. Based on this growing literature base, we propose evidence-based practical applications that still warrant further scientific investigation.