Morning stretching is important for your body to help kick-start your energy levels and to help circulation. Morning stretching can provide you with the best start to the day, as it has the following positive effects on your body:
- It increases flexibility in muscles and joints
- It improves circulation
- It removes tension
- It prevents stress
Read on and find out why it is a good idea to make morning stretches part of your morning routine.
Increase flexibility in your joints
Your alarm clock wakes you up and it's probably tempting to reset it to snooze a couple of times. Just as your alarm clock may be an alarm for your mind, morning stretching is the body’s ‘alarm’, sending signals to the brain saying it is time to wake up your muscles.
When you stretch in the morning, you increase the flexibility in your muscles and joints which makes it a lot easier to get out of bed. Not only this but by increasing the flexibility in your muscles and joints, you reduce the risk of getting arthritis or impairing your balance, which can lead to accidents.
Get your circulation going
You often lie in the same sleeping position for a long time during the night. As a result, when you wake up your muscles may feel stiff from a lack of movement. This is because, while you sleep your muscles relax and both your blood pressure and heart rate fall.
Stretching in the morning gets your circulation off to a good start. This in turn kick-starts your energy level. But it isn't only in the morning that stretching helps your body get going. If you sit still for more than an hour, it's a good idea to have a stretch and activate your body, thereby getting your circulation going again. This will make you more productive afterwards.
Morning stretching prevents stress
Getting up can be tough, especially if you know you have a stressful day ahead of you. But by stretching in the morning you can remove uncomfortable tension in your body, which may actually be the cause of the stress you feel.
So morning stretching can help you cope better with your day. You will find it easier to look positively at the challenges of the day ahead and you will find it easier to avoid the stress.
Stretch 30 seconds at a time
When stretching in the morning, it's recommended to hold each stretch for around 30 seconds. This is the easiest way to remove tension and it also gives your muscles more time to stretch. Then relax completely and breathe normally until the next stretch.
Morning stretching happens instinctively
It's not only humans who have a stretch after a good power nap or a night’s sleep. Various species of animals also stretch instinctively after taking a nap. For example, dogs and cats stretch their front paws and bend their backs, while fish spread and wave their fins when they wake up.
It's part of an animal's nature to stretch because it increases their mobility. This only goes to prove that morning stretching is a great way to start the day and get your body going.
Sources
http://www.livestrong.com/article/355285-why-do-you-stretch-after-sleeping/
https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/heres-why-you-instinctively-stretch-when-you-wake-up
