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Getting Out Of Bed In The Morning

Sometimes I hear people complaining about their inability to hop right out of bed in the morning, or at least get up when the alarm goes off. I have heard (and experienced) of varied challenges ranging from difficulty sitting up, tight lower or upper back muscles, disorientation when arising, and a few others.
Not feeling it today...

The problem with this is that it makes it even morechallenging to get your day started when it's not starting off correctly.

Let's try to examine the most obvious issues:
  • How old is your mattress and is it sinking or sagging?
  • What is your sleep position?
  • Where is the pain?
If your mattress is 10 years old, then it's probably a good time to go shopping. When the mattress starts to sag, you will start dragging at opposing muscles and perhaps even alter your sleep position. The sagging is the worst thing that can happen. If your not ready to buy a new bed, just try rolling a towel or yoga mat and slide it either under your lower back (if you sleep on your back) or under your hips (if you sleep on your front). This can alleviate some of the tug on muscles and tendons if there is a sag in the mattress.

By the way- your sleep position may also be a problem. The best positions are on your back or sleeping on your left side (with proper head support). The best thing for back health is a neutral spine position at night with excellent blood flow (left side also makes it easier to maintain good blood flow). This way you won't see a drop in systolic blood pressure overnight and get that dizzy feeling when you wake up.
Sleep well!

Now let's assume, all else being equal and good, that you still suffer a little from the getting out of bed blues. Back is still tight, body feels stiff, and you just can barely reach over to get the alarm. Let's also assume that you got at least 7 hours of sleep (but I am not overreaching here!). I  have some good bed stretched to help get you going.

Here are my top three bed stretches:

1. Psoas Stretch- hang one leg off of the bed and bring the other towards your chest.
2. Lower Back Stretch- Bring both knees up towards your chest
3. Bridge Stretch- bend legs at right angles, push with your heels, and lift your hips off of the bed while leaving your shoulders at rest
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