Wind down to enjoy a peaceful rest, with Annie Deadman's 6 movements to bring on sleep

Need help unwinding at night? A few stretches for sleep can do wonders for helping a buzzing brain and tense muscles relax, making restorative rest come more easily.

While doing exercise like yoga workouts will keep you awake if we flow too close to bedtime, a couple of stretches will ease aches and niggles, and trigger the parasympathetic nervous system to take over (aka our 'rest and digest' function), which sends a signal to our brain that it's time to relax and wind down. With time, this can help us sleep better.

Head to your bedroom 15 minutes earlier and make these moves part of your pre-sleep ritual.

Stretches for sleep

1. Standing forward bend

Forward-folding poses are full-body stretches. They have a deeply relaxing effect on the body as they stretch, strengthen, and release the entire backside of the body. The standing forward bend is one of the best back exercises, too.

Here's how to do it:

• In a standing position, exhale, then draw your belly in and fold forward from the hip. Let your head hang heavy, gazing towards your knees, and then turn to hold the back of your calves or ankles.
• Stay in position for 5 to 10 deep breaths.

2. Seated forward bend

As you reach forward, the seated forward bend lengthens the spine from the neck to the lower back, alleviating pressure from all the tiny muscles surrounding the vertebrae.

Here's how to do it:

• Lower to a seated position and stretch your legs out in front of you, sitting up tall. Inhale, stretch your arms up, lengthen the spine and lift the chest.
• Exhale, bend forward from the hips with a straight back, and rest your hands on your shins or your feet, if you can reach them.
• Hold for 5-10 inhales and exhales, breathing deeply.

3. Spinal twist

The seated spinal twist combines muscle relaxation as you stretch the sides of the spine and promotes calm as you stretch further into the movement.

Here's how to do it:

• Cross your right bent leg over your left straight leg, sit tall, straighten your spine and rotate to look behind you with your right hand on the floor, bringing your left hand to rest on your right knee.
• Pull the right leg inwards with your left hand to accentuate the stretch down the side of the right leg. Breathe.
• Keep the pose for 20 to 30 seconds, then repeat on the other side.

4. Legs up

Elevating your legs above your head will alleviate pressure in your lower back, while improving blood flow, reducing inflammation, and pressure in the legs' veins, which are all beneficial for coaxing in more core sleep.

Here's how to do it:

• Lie on your back and place your legs straight up against a chair or the wall so that you’re in an L-shape. You may need a pillow to support your lower back.
• Breathe deeply and relax, holding this position for at least 30 seconds.

5. Child’s pose

If you're familiar with yoga for sleep poses, you'll know this one. Child's pose gently compresses the chest and stomach, aiding digestion, and can help reduce upper back and neck tension before you go to bed.

Here's how to do it:

• Get down on all fours and, with toes touching and knees wide apart, sit back into the pelvis. Exhale and walk your fingers away, lowering your torso between your thighs.
• Press your palms into floor and rest your forehead on the floor.
• Hold for up to a few minutes to feel a lovely deep stretch in your hips, back and shoulders.

6. Fish pose

Our hips hold a lot of emotion and tension from busy or stressful moments in our life. They are also used in most daily movements and often not stretched enough. The fish pose is one of the best stretches for tight hips.

• Place a rolled towel on the floor and lie on it vertically. Take your arms out to the sides, resting on the floor. Place the soles of your feet together and let your knees fall apart.
• Close your eyes, relax your shoulders, head and jaw; exhale. Rest here for up to five minutes.