For many of us, working from home is here to stay and the blurry boundaries that come with living and working in the same space mean that we’re moving our bodies less, which tends to impact our precious zzz's.
That’s why we put our noggins together with sleep expert Dave Gibson to bring you some easy peasy moves you can do at home. Don’t worry, there are no burpees or situps on the agenda. These wind-down and wakeup stretches are as simple as 1, 2, 3. And they could just be your ticket to getting the top notch kip you need to rise and shine.
movement and sleep: the lowdown
First thing’s first. How does the way we move impact our sleep? Well, changes in routine can take its toll on your precious zzz’s. Especially the ‘live at home’ routine lots of us have experienced over the last year. Turns out that being more idle means we’re more likely to be ceiling gazing come 1am.
Don’t get us wrong, we’re not encouraging some Olympic-type running around your house everyday. Though hats off to you if that’s your thing. But according to Dave, simple movements like stretches can help us to wind down after a long day:
Gentle stretching is a great way of relaxing tight muscles and relieving stress before bed. As we do them they also help us switch off our mind as we start to focus on our body.
bust a move
With Dave’s help, we put together a nifty stretch and flex guide. It’s easy to do from home and a doddle to follow. Ready? Here’s the lowdown.
The idea is to stretch before bedtime, ironing out the kinks from the day like hunching over a makeshift desk or (dare we say it) working from bed. At the same time, doing these stretches will bring your attention back to your breath. Which is especially handy if your head is swimming with to-do lists or bothersome thoughts. If you want to take things up a notch, you could add an extra dollop of sleep wellness to your wind-down routine. Try a weighted balnket, a dream to get cosy under for a sound sleep. Or a good book is the ultimate way to switch off (well, we think so anyway). Check out our top 5 bedtime reads if that tickles your pickle.
Next up are the morning moves. We’re all about giving you the best possible start so that you can enjoy each day. And these fabulous flexes are no different. There are 5 simple ones to follow and each slowly gets your muscles working, blood pumping and joints relaxed like a plate of jelly. The result is that you’ll start your day full of beans and feel gloriously relaxed. Sounds nice, eh?