How does stretching before sleeping work?

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So I’ve been doing stretching routines before sleep lately and it has really helped a lot with my insomnia and it has prevented my body from waking up in the middle of the night. What physiological or chemical effects does stretching have on sleep?

In: Biology

4 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Can you share the stretches you’ve been doing? Just general stretching?

Anonymous 0 Comments

Tight muscles and joints cause general stimulation (or even pain). Stimulation during sleep or attempting to sleep keeps you awake, and causes you to need to adjust your position to relieve the extra tightness in the night.

Chemically, this would mean extra norepinephrine in the brain from the stimulation, and the stretching causes more cannabinoid and endorphin signaling and reduces norepinephrine signaling. I’m sure melatonin and serotonin signaling are also altered, but I’m not sure how.

Anonymous 0 Comments

I don’t think there’s a direct relationship between stretching and muscles but here are some known physiological effects

1. Focusing on your breathing while stretching is obviously a key factor. Deep breathing will lead to better respiration and your parasympathetic nervous system will work to “rest and digest”

2. Stretching a muscle will physically stretch blood vessels and so more blood flow equals better cellular respiration and better elimination of waste products.

3. Stretching a muscle involves activation of gamma motor neurons. And these neurons inhibit contraction by synapsing on the spinal cord. There could be some diffusion of inhibition that may affect other nerves too.

Anonymous 0 Comments

Definitely agree that there is an effect here of deep breathing while stretching – causes your heart rate to slow down, then body to turn to more parasympathetic function (rest and digest), less sympathetic function, less adrenaline (Fight/flight), lower cortisol (stress hormone).

Another important consideration – what activity were you doing that you are now doing less of or not at all just before bed?

Finally, the effect of stretching just before bed will increase in effectiveness if you do the stretching throughout the day, more than just once. Over the course of the day the cortisol and adrenaline that you produce build up, and then are still signaling, and being processed (metabolized) while you sleep. If you keep the levels lower throughout the day, by stretching or even just breathing, then when you’re ready for bed the levels are lower for the overnight, and you are less likely to wake up.