Do you feel you have been finding it hard to fall asleep lately and need to relax in the evening? Or are you completely worn out after a long day, but have no time or energy left for exercise? Whatever the case, we have prepared a very simple and effective set of 3 exercises you can do in bed just before you settle down to sleep.
Before you start exercising, we have a few tips for you:
- Create a pleasant atmosphere in your bedroom. Dim light and a candle or an aroma lamp with a gentle soothing scent will help you get in the mood for gentle exercise and sleep.
- Before exercising, change into your pajamas, brush your teeth, turn off the lights in the house… It is quite possible that afterwards you won’t feel like doing anything at all except snuggling into the covers and closing your eyes.
- If you have a partner or children, try exercising in bed together in the evening. You will see that it has a beneficial effect on them too. And maybe you will create a favorite shared ritual that you will look forward to.
Try exercising this very evening – you will be pleasantly relaxed, and it will also show in falling asleep faster and sleeping more soundly. So let’s get started!
Deep breathing in a cross-legged position
Sit comfortably cross-legged. Keep your back straight and your arms and hip joints relaxed. Rest your hands loosely in your lap or on your knees. Your head should be in line with your spine, neither tilted back nor forward.
Do you feel comfortable? If so, now start breathing consciously. Take a deep breath and imagine your belly and chest filling with air. When you inhale, first the belly area starts to fill, then the chest area and finally the area under the collarbones. In this way, guide the breath along the spine from the bottom up. When you exhale, on the contrary, first empty the air from the upper chest and finally from the belly.
If this breathing technique seems too complicated and takes a lot of effort, breathe naturally instead, but smoothly and deeply. You will get the hang of it over time. The important thing is to stay relaxed and focus on your breathing. Take at least 10 such breaths in and out. You should feel immediate relaxation of both body and mind.
Child’s pose for maximum relaxation
This yoga position is very pleasant. Babies love it too, which shows that it is natural and beneficial for us.
We start from the previous position, i.e. sitting cross-legged. Uncross your legs and sit so that your legs are bent underneath you, with your calves parallel under your thighs. Keep your back straight. Place your arms straight in front of you on the floor and start sliding them forward. Move your torso and back after your arms until you reach a pleasant maximum. The upper front part of your body should rest on your thighs, with your forehead resting on the mat. Now place your arms back along your spine and relax. Your back should now be rounded and your whole body relaxed. Breathe deeply into your back and relax. Try 10 breaths in and out.
Rotation to release the spine and joints
Now slowly lie down on your back. Bend your right leg at the knee and twist it across the axis of your body to the left. The upper half of your back, i.e. the whole spine except the hips, should rest on the mattress or mat. Leave your arms stretched out to the sides, or straighten them and bend them upward at the elbows into a candle position. Your head turns slightly to the left, and so does your gaze. You should feel a pleasant stretch.
Caution – if you feel too much pull or pain, simplify the position or return to simply lying on your back. You don’t want to suffer or hurt yourself, after all. The exercise must be pleasant.
Don’t forget to breathe in the position. After 3-4 breaths in and out, return to lying on your back and repeat the exercise on the other side. Now the left leg goes to the right side. In a more advanced version of the exercise, you can intertwine your legs by wrapping the foot of the upper leg around the calf of the lower leg.
And that’s all. These 3 exercises are quite enough as a gentle evening stretch and relaxation. If you need more (over time), you can increase the number of breaths and repetitions or do the series several times in a row. We hope we have inspired you and that you will not only try the exercises but also stick with them.
Check out our other articles from the world of mattresses and healthy sleep! 🙂