Everyone has had trouble falling asleep at least once in their life, but for many it is an issue that can last for days, weeks, months, or even years. Though there are a number of issues that can cause sleeplessness, poor stress management is one of the most common causes. The stress you experience can be caused by many different things, but whether it is physical, mental, emotional, social, or some other form of stress, it can manifest itself as a multitude of different health issues. For me, and many clients I have worked with over the years, difficulty sleeping is the way stress has chosen to show itself.

Though there are many different ways to help improve your sleep, this time I want to focus more on one specific tactic that has helped me and reportedly many of my former personal training clients as well. This tactic is a specific style of stretching to try and lower stress and clear your mind before going to bed. I built this routine specifically for helping you wind down by moving from more active stretches to burn off any residual energy to more passive stretches to bring your heart rate and breathing rate down to prepare for sleep.

So, before you start into this routine, here are a few suggestions to help it work more effectively. 

1. Get ready for bed before you start, so basically you can go directly to sleep after the last stretch. 
2. Whatever you are watching this video on, turn down the brightness of the screen as much as you can as well as turning down the lights in the room you are doing this routine. Bright lights tell your body that it is day time so you need to wake up. The lower your lights while doing this the better.
3. While going through this routine, concentrate on your body and your form as much as possible as this will help to distract you from any stressful issues that you may be cycling in your head. 
4. Try and avoid using any type of technology for an hour before bedtime and try to slowly dim the lights in your home over that hour until it is as dark as you can get it and still function as it will signal to your brain that it is night time and it should wind down and get ready for sleep. 

Workout Structure - Printable Stretching Workout

Standing Stretches

Side Bend + Tricep Stretch L
Side Bend + Tricep Stretch R
Sweeping Toe Touch
Inside Thigh + Arm Stretch L
Inside Thigh + Arm Stretch R
Shoulder Round to Chest Opener
Quad Stretch L
Quad Stretch R
Calf + Wrist Stretch L
Calf + Wrist Stretch R

Seated Stretches

ButterFly Stretch
Deep Hip Stretch
Neck Stretch Progression
Wing Stretch (back of hand at sides pull elbows forward)
Rotator Cuff Opener

Laying Down

Shallow Cobra + Quad Stretch L
Shallow Cobra + Quad Stretch L
Child’s Pose
Shell Stretch
Deep Glute L
Deep Glute R
Full Body Stretch

Because this is routine is designed to help you relax and fall asleep it is not a big calorie burner, but even something so light still burns a range of 54 to 108 total calories.

What did you think of this workout? Have you used it to try and improve your sleep? If so, did it work for you?