Stretch Series From Santa Rosa Chiropractors

This Stretch Series is going to focus on relaxing stretches that you can do in your bed, right before bed to relax and get ready to sleep and get a good night’s rest.  Getting a good night’s sleep is crucial to being able to do all the things that you want and love to do.  It is also important to a better mood, keeping you looking and feeling fresh, it helps keep you sharp and improves memory and lengthens attention span, it spurs creativity, helps with maintaining your weight, lowering stress levels, and it can even help with lessening inflammation!  Good sleep is important.

Stretching to relax before bed will help you fall asleep faster and get a deeper sleep.  Remember to lighten up on the screen time 30 minutes before bed too!

This stretch will relax and strengthen your back muscles.  Many people hold tension in their back.  This will help release that tension.

Even though this picture is shown on a chair, this stretch can also be done while sitting on the bed. Start by sitting cross legged, then twist as far as you can, like shown below.  Try to look at the wall behind you. Twist first to the left, hold for 30-40 seconds and then twist to the right and hold again.

Santa Rosa chiropractors always recommend to keep the sequence and not deviate.

The next stretch will stretch out the shoulders and neck, another common place to hold tension. Start by getting on all fours, shown below.

Then reach with on arm below you and push through, feeling the stretch.  If it hurts, lighten up a bit.  You want to feel a pull but it should feel good.  Hold for 20-30 seconds and repeat on the other side.

This stretch will stretch sore leg and knee muscles from all the wear and tear of running around all day.  Start by laying on your side and then bringing your foot up behind you, then using your hand, pull your foot towards you, feeling the pull.  Don’t pull so hard that it hurts. Hold this for 30-40 seconds and then release and repeat on the other side.

After doing these stretches, you’ll be feeling relaxed and tension free (or at least less tension!) which will help you sleep so you can tackle tomorrow with the perseverance that everyday needs!

Sleep well!