Prep for Bed with a Foam Roller
Do you stretch before bed? A few years ago, I started having trouble sleeping (thanks children, hormones, and waking me at odd hours of the night) and someone suggested stretching before bed. GAME CHANGER! I fall asleep faster, sleep more soundly, and wake up less through the night on the nights that I take the five minutes to stretch before bed.
Enter, FOAM ROLLER. Let’s take this to the next level! Foam rolling before bed is like stretching before bed on steroids. Why, you ask? Foam rolling is a myofascial release (think: self-massage) that you cannot quite reach through stretching alone. Foam rolling smooths the fascia, thereby improving circulation, oxygenating the blood. Rolling also flushes toxins built up in the muscles, reduces inflammation, and possibly speeds recovery post-workout.
Foam rolling is used by athletes, exercise professionals, and Joe Q. Public to release trigger points. This reduction of stress and tension on the body naturally promotes restful sleep. Some of the areas of the body where people store the most stress include: quads, glutes, hips, and upper back/shoulders. These areas are a great place to start with foam rolling to release and relax those muscles.
After you have completed your usual nighttime rituals, just before you are ready to get under the covers, dim the lights and try this foam rolling sequence to relax and open your tight muscles so that you can get an optimal night’s sleep.
Give yourself at least 5 minutes, and with each of these motions, focus on your breath. Remember to keep the roller on the spots that feel tender, allowing the toxins to flush out of the muscles and release as you breath into the area of soreness or tightness.
Quad Roll. Start face down and put the roller under your hip at the top of your quad. Move your body side to side on top of the foam roller as it stays in place. Roll the roller about an inch down your quad, and repeat the rolling side to side motion. Remember to stay on the sore spots and breathe.
Roll calves and backs of thighs. On your back with your hands behind your back on the ground for support, start with the roller down at your Achilles, and work your way up and down your calf with the foam roller. Again, stop at any places that feel tender and allow the breath and the roller to work the tension out of the fascia. You can shift the position of the calf and repeat the process to get more coverage all over the muscle. Repeat the process with the hamstring/back of the thigh.
Upper back roll. Place the roller behind your shoulder blades horizontally as you lie on your back. Use your feet and hips to roll up and down to cover all of your upper back with the roller. Focus on breath and tender spots. Take your time.
Windshield wipers. Place the roller at the base of your spine under your sacrum horizontally. You can either keep your feet on the ground with knees bent or pick your feet up in the air with bent knees. Place your hands on the ground for balance, and windshield wiper both legs from side to side at the same time, back and forth about 6-10 passes.
Figure 4 circles. Keeping the roller at the sacrum, place your right ankle on top of your bent left knee. Lift the leg off the ground and rotate in circles from the hip joint. Change directions. Then, change the position to right leg on top, and repeat on the other side.
Squeeze and extend. Stay with the roller at the sacrum and extend your right leg long and straight as you squeeze your left knee into your chest and armpit. Take a few breaths, and repeat on the other side.
Big squeeze. Roller is still at the sacrum, pull both knees into your chest and give a tight squeeze, contracting all the muscles of your body (including your face and feet!) and hold for 3 seconds and release.
Corpse elevated. Again, roller is still on the sacrum. After the big squeeze, release and relax like a corpse. Your hips are open and allow your legs and feet to flop open. Hands are relaxed by your sides. Take 4-5 breaths and scan your body. Notice how it feels.
Hop into bed and enjoy one of the best night’s sleep you’ve had in a really long time!
