Stretching before bed has a lot of health benefits that come with it. Daily stretching can be used to improve your perceived height, as well as help lull you off to sleep. Keep reading below to learn the truths and myths about stretching before bed.
Does Stretching Before Bed Make You Taller?
Stretching before bed cannot make you taller because your height is impacted only by your growth hormones and genetic makeup. While stretching before bed doesn’t make you grow taller, daily stretching can improve your posture and allow you to put all of your height to use.
Having good posture can go a long way in making others perceive you as taller. Improving your posture can make you look an inch or more taller than you appear in a slouched position.
Daily stretching can help strengthen your muscles which in turn will allow them to support you better and improve your posture. It is not necessary to stretch before bedtime specifically, but choosing a designated time of day to stretch will help you to form a consistent routine.
How Can Stretching Help You Sleep?
Stretching before bed is beneficial, even if it doesn’t make you grow taller. Stretching before bed can relax muscle tension which can help induce sleep. If you are feeling stressed and are struggling to get to sleep, stretching or massaging your muscles is a healthy way of convincing your body that it’s time to rest.
Not only will stretching help release tension, but if you are troubled by aches and pains when you lie down to sleep at night, then stretching can help relieve some of your muscle pain. Avid fans of exercise will find that stretching before bed will help ease their sore muscles and reduce their chances of waking up stiff the next morning.
If you tend to have an overactive mind before you sleep, try stretching to help calm your whirring head. Try choosing to take the time your spend stretching as a meditative period. Meditation while stretching can help prepare your mind as well as your body for sleep. Try clearing your head and focusing only on your breath as you stretch before bed.
Who Can Benefit From Stretching Before Bed?
Stretching daily is advisable for the majority of people, but there are specific groups of people who may reap the most benefits from daily stretches. If you are any of the following group of people, strongly consider adding stretching to your daily routine:
- People with mostly sedentary jobs
- People who are stressed
- People who exercise vigorously
- People who experience muscle aches
- People who struggle to fall asleep
The people mentioned above are most likely to experience muscle pain or have a hard time falling asleep. If you identify with one or more of the groups of people listed above, stretching daily could positively impact your life.
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Easy Stretches to Help Aid Sleep
You don’t have to use challenging stretches to help loosen your muscles and aid sleep. As long as you’re feeling your muscles loosen even a little bit, you are helping your body to feel more comfortable. Here is a list of stretches that might help you before bed:
- Forward and backward arm/shoulder rotations
- Touching your toes
- Downward dog
- Upward reaching
- Lunges
If you don’t feel like standing, you can sit down on the floor and bend your back to reach for your toes. Try variations of these sitting stretches by spreading your legs and reaching for one foot individually or reaching toward the middle-space between your legs.
Stretching before bed doesn’t have to be hard, and stretching while sitting down can even be beneficial for loosening those tightened muscles. Click here to watch a video collection of easy, relaxing stretches that you can do to loosen your muscles before bed.
Final Notes
Stretching before bed can help you utilize all of your height by improving your posture, but it is not intended to be a way to help you become taller. However, there are a lot of health benefits associated with daily stretching. If you’re looking to improve your posture, relax before sleep, and relieve aches and pains, then stretching before bed might be a useful addition to your daily routine.
