7 In-Bed Morning Stretches To Wake Up Tired Muscles

These gentle in-bed stretches will boost blood circulation in the body and help you jump off the bed, ready to tackle the day ahead.

How many times have you woken up feeling like you can’t move a muscle or your body feels numb or you feel lethargic and sluggish, even after a good night’s rest? We’ve all experienced this couple of times and there are many others who might face this regularly due to multiple reasons like blue light exposure, bad mattress, bedroom temperature etc. Feeling slothful when you wake up is completely normal and there is a simple solution to this problem— don’t worry, it doesn’t involve early morning runs. In fact, it doesn’t require you to even leave the bed. We’re referring to in-bed stretches! These simple exercises are enough to wake up the body and have you jumping out of bed, ready to take on the day. So, how do these body stretches help? Keep on reading to find out.

How do In-Bed Stretches help?

While we sleep, the body goes through plenty of changes. Neurons or nerve cells are reorganized in the brain to get rid of toxic waste. The body repairs and regenerates cells, which restore energy, and release molecules like hormones and proteins. There is also plenty of repair and renewal going on when it comes to your muscles, so it’s not surprising to wake up with muscle “tightness”. Here’s where in-bed stretches come to the rescue.

If you’re questioning the effectiveness of easy, in-bed exercises, well; don’t be fooled by its simplicity. They do so much and more. Practising these stretches every day help wake up the body by increasing blood circulation, giving you that jolt of energy. Aside from this, it also resets your entire system and helps you get through the day. In-bed stretches right after you wake up, mentally preps you to take on the day ahead and even improves your body awareness.

7 Easy Morning Stretches to start your day right

Deep Breaths

Start your in-bed exercises by taking deep breaths and be mindful of your body. All you need to do is lie down on your back with your arms at your sides or on your stomach. Now take in a deep breath, hold for 3 seconds and slowly exhale. Do this exercise 10 times before moving on to the next one.

Full-Body Stretch

You already unconsciously do this when you wake up. A full-body stretch is the best as it releases any tightness in the body and relaxes stiff muscles. For this exercise, all you need to do is extend your arms above your head as far as you can. While doing this, also push your feet down towards the end of your bed. Hold this for a couple of seconds while taking deep breaths. Repeat 5 times.

Glute Bridge

If you’re dealing with stiffness in your back due to an uneven mattress or because you slept wrong, this exercise will help. A glute bridge stabilizes the core of the body, without putting pressure on your lower back, making it ideal to relieve back stiffness or pain.

Lie on your back and keep your hands at your sides. Keep your knees bent with your feet flat on the bed, apart from each other.

Gently push through your heels, lifting your hips off the floor. While doing this, make sure to squeeze your glutes and abs while forming a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.

Pause for 3 seconds when your hips are completely off the floor and later bring it back down slowly. Do this exercise for 30 seconds before moving on to the next one.

In-bed Hamstring Stretch

This exercise not only helps treat lower back pain, but also improves the range of motion in your joints and increases flexibility.

Lie down on your back while keeping your hips level. Keeping your left leg on the bed, bring your right knee towards your chest.

Hold the leg with your hand and slowly extend it up to the ceiling. Stay in this position for a couple of seconds before bringing it down to its original position. Repeat the same on the opposite side.

Child’s Pose

Whether or not you do yoga, this is one of the most relaxing poses out there which soothes your mind while giving your back a good stretch. It eases lower back pain, creates a nice stretch in the hips and thighs and increases circulation throughout the body.

For this pose, kneel on the bed with your big toes touching each other. Sit on your heels, and then separate your knees as wide as your hips. Take a deep breath in and as you exhale, lay your body down between your thighs. Strengthen your back while stretching your arms in front of you. Stay in this position for 3 minutes before moving on to the next exercise.

Cobra Pose

This is another yoga pose to awaken the body. Lie down on your stomach with your legs extended and toes pointed. Place your hands just below your shoulders, keeping your palms faced down. Now gently press your palms against the bed and slowly lift your head, shoulders, and chest. In doing this, you will feel a stretch in your spine, shoulders, and abdomen. It also helps open the heart and lungs.

Forward Fold

And finally, the last in-bed exercise — the forward fold. This one is beneficial, especially for those who deal with morning back and neck stiffness or pain. Sit up straight up with your spine erect and keep your legs stretched out in front of you. Bend your knees slightly, inhale and extend your arms up to the ceiling. While exhaling, bend forward and place your body on your legs. Try to touch your toes with your fingers and bring your nose down to your knees. You can keep a slight bend in your knees if you aren’t flexible. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat.

Go on and get rid of that morning drowsiness with these easy in-bed stretches.