The more oxygen your brain receives, the more energy you will have to help yourself grow during sleep. Sleep on your side with your knees bent. This will effectively flatten the back. A flat pillow may be used to support the neck, especially if your shoulders are broad.

Worst: Sleeping on Your Stomach With your head raised on the pillow, it can be difficult to keep the spine in a neutral position. Sleeping on your stomach puts a strain on the back and neck. With the middle of your body being the heaviest part, it causes the spine to overarch.

Stretching is a way to relax them so you can rest more comfortably.” If you struggle to fall asleep, stretching may help you to do so more quickly, says Ribaudo. It can also improve blood flow and relieve muscle tension — both of which aid in muscle recovery and sleep quality.

Stretching first thing in the morning can relieve any tension or pain from sleeping the night before. It also helps increase your blood flow and prepares your body for the day ahead. Stretching before bed relaxes your muscles and helps prevent you from waking up with more pain.

When you sleep, your muscles lose tone and fluid tends to pool along your back. Stretching helps to massage fluid gently back into the normal position. Also, your muscles protect themselves from over-extension by inhibiting the nerve impulses as they approach their limit.

The best time to stretch is early in the morning before you start your day. This sets the length of the muscle for the remainder of the day, allowing you to move more freely without restriction or pain. Perform dynamic stretches in the morning.

So why exactly is stretching before bed so helpful for sleep? In addition to getting regular exercise, stretching offers many perks for your body and mind. For starters, developing an evening stretching routine helps your body to enter a relaxed state more quickly, and stay in a deeper sleep for longer.

Stretching lengthens muscle tissue and increases flexibility, both of which allow you to perform strength building moves with greater range of movement, making the exercise more effective. 2. When you are building muscle, you are creating tiny tears in the muscles and lactic acid builds up.

The ideal stretching routine

1. Healthy adults should do flexibility exercises (stretches, yoga, or tai chi) for all major muscle-tendon groups—neck, shoulders, chest, trunk, lower back, hips, legs, and ankles—at least two to three times a week.
2. For optimal results, you should spend a total of 60 seconds on each stretching exercise.

Stretching your body to become more supple and flexible offers many physical benefits. Such training allows for easier and deeper movements while building strength and stability. Stretching your muscles and joints also leads to greater range of motion, improved balance, and increased flexibility.