Quick stretch for better sleep
Chiropractors and wellness writers are pushing a 5‑minute bedtime cat‑cow stretch as an instant back‑pain reliever that can improve sleep quality — a simple recovery tool for travellers and deskbound athletes alike. The routine is paired in coverage with other short mobility fixes that are easy to adopt nightly (tomsguide.com).
Tom’s Guide published the piece and named Dr. Nathan Bridge, a resident chiropractor for mattress brand Sleepy, as the source of the bedside mobility routine. (tomsguide.com) The sequence is formally known as Marjaryasana–Bitilasana in yoga literature, and the Cleveland Clinic lists that movement as a gentle way to improve spinal mobility and engage core muscles. (health.clevelandclinic.org) Multiple NHS physiotherapy resources include the cow–cat (cow–cat) flow in back-rehab handouts and instruct short repetitions — for example, Sussex Community recommends repeating the movement for about 30 seconds with a goal of 3–5 sets. (sussexcommunity.nhs.uk) A June 26, 2024 scoping review in the European Journal of Applied Physiology mapped 16 studies of chronic stretch training and reported a consistent positive trend in sleep-quality outcomes across those trials. (springer.com) A randomized trial comparing three 4‑month treatments (resistance exercise, stretching, control; stretching n=10) found stretching produced significantly greater improvements in Insomnia Severity Index scores compared with control. (europepmc.org) Guidance from sleep experts and advocacy groups notes that structured physical activity can change measurable sleep metrics — one Sleep Foundation summary cites trials showing people who start regular exercise can fall asleep up to 13 minutes faster and stay asleep about 18 minutes longer after a few weeks. (sleepfoundation.org)
