Try These Stretches for a Great Night of Sleep Tonight...

Would you like some amazing stretches you can do before bed that will help you wind down for a great night of sleep?

All together, these stretches will just take a few minutes, and they are super simple and easy to do. 

If you do these stretches before bed on a regular basis as part of your nighttime routine, not only will they help you unwind, but they can become cues for your body that it’s bedtime. And that can help you fall asleep faster.  

Now, as it is with all stretches, you should just go to a point of gentle tension. Don’t try too hard to stretch. Just let the stretch happen. Trying to force a stretch actually makes it harder for your muscles to relax. 

Basically, these should feel good and not like a lot of work. 

Are you ready to get going?  

Our first stretch is a forward fold. 

1. Start with your feet hip-width apart, your knees slightly bent.
2. Next, bend from your hips, bringing your chest down toward your thighs into a forward fold, letting your arms and head hang loosely.
3. You should feel kind of like a floppy rag doll.
4. Just stay here and hold for 30 to 60 seconds before slowly rolling back up to standing. Use your hands to “walk” up your legs to support you as rise. 

Good news! All of the remaining stretches are done either sitting or lying down! 

The second stretch is a seated side bend. 

1. You start out by sitting on a pillow, legs cross-legged in front of you. Place your left hand on the floor beside your left hip, your left elbow slightly bent.
2. Reach your right arm up overhead, and with your core engaged, lean toward the left, your butt on the floor, shoulders down.
3. Hold for 30 seconds before repeating on the other side.
4. As with all stretches, your breathing should be even and easy. This one can make you want to hold your breath. If you find that happening, please back off the stretch a little until your breathing feels more normal. 

The third stretch we are going to do is a twist. This one always feels so good and is great for helping to detoxify the system. 

1. To start, you are going to sit with both legs out in front of you.
2. Now, bend your right leg and bring your right foot up and over your left leg, so that your right foot is near the outside of your left hip.
3. Sit up super tall, and hug your right knee into your chest. Take a big inhale and then exhale and twist. Keep your shoulders nice and relaxed. Take a few breaths here and repeat on the other side. 

Our final stretch looks more intimidating than actually is, but even so I want you to go only as far as feels comfortable for you. If you have any knee issues, you can skip this one. 

It’s called the swan. 

1. Start this stretch by sitting on the floor, a pillow in front of you. Bend your left knee, bringing the sole of your left foot toward your right inner thigh, while your right leg reaches behind you (your right quad is toward the floor).
2. Slowly start to hinge forward from your hips, bringing your head down toward the pillow. Reach your arms gently forward.
3. You should feel a nice stretch everywhere, especially in your left glute/hip.
4. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat on the other side. 

There you have it! A quick series of stretches you can do before bed to help you relax and unwind. 

If you want more exercises to help you feel great and a plan to follow, check out some of my programs here!