If you want to de-stress and get invigorated, Iron Fit in San Antonio, Texas, the perfect place to come. Exercise earlier in the day can also help you sleep better at night. However, no two people are the same. Some people find that daily exercise isn’t enough to overcome chronic insomnia, even though it helps a bit. For them, I suggest some bedtime yoga to bring sleep more quickly.
Try yoga stretches to help relax your body, so sleep comes quicker.
If you’re like many people, small aches and pains can keep you awake and so can those problems faced throughout the day. One way to help with the body aches is through stretching. When you use yoga stretches, it combines the stretch with a focus on deep breathing which is a form of meditation. It can help calm the brain, as it relaxes the body. Breathing techniques are quite specific. Breathe in through your nose slowly to the count of five, hold for a count of five and breathe out for a count of five. Sit on the floor with your legs outstretched and slowly bend your body over your legs as you exhale, attempting to grab your toes. You can do the same yoga move standing, exhaling as you bend your body and dangle your arms. Hold and inhale as you rise.
Tension is often held in the neck and spine.
Desk work is a killer when it comes to posture and ultimately neck and back tension. Combine breathing focus and the same pattern of inhaling for five, holding and exhaling as you did before, but this time, do a cat/cow pose. The cat part is the act of rounding your back and pushing it toward the ceiling as you inhale through your nose, holding and exhaling as you move to the cow pose, lifting your head and tailbone, dropping your belly to form a U. Hold and move back to cat position.
Make sure you don’t have a sleep disorder that requires medical attention.
There’s a lot of problems with sleep from not being able to get to sleep to not being able to stay asleep or getting poor quality sleep. Some of these problems come from stress and daily problems, while other problems with sleep come from physical problems, like sleep apnea. Make sure you don’t have a physical problem by first consulting your health care professional. Sometimes problems like sleep apnea can be relieved with weight loss and the right treatment.
- To get rid of nighttime neck and back tension, a child pose is perfect. Sit on your calves with shins touching the ground and knees bent. Breathe in deeply through the nose and hold. As you exhale, fold your body forward, bending at the hips until the front of your body is on your thighs.
- Not all your poses are difficult. Sometimes just rolling your head, as you stretch your neck can help. Make sure you have good posture as you do that, keeping your shoulders back.
- Get in bed and prepare to fall asleep after you do a happy baby pose. Lay on your back and lift your knees as you bend at the hips and push your feet toward the ceiling. Grab the big toe on each foot and pull it as though you’re trying to put your knees in your armpits. Do the breathing technique and rock side to side as you do to help you relax.
- Speak with your personal trainer about exercises that can help you sleep better at night or suggestions to help you. Sometimes, a vigorous workout too late in the day can be too stimulating and the solution is to exercise earlier.
For more information, contact us today at IronFit San Antonio