7 Stretches To Help You Sleep Sounder and Become a Better Cyclist

How is your relationship with sleep? Do you sleep soundly and wake up refreshed every day? Or are you like many people who struggle to turn off their minds, relax, and drift into sleep? If that’s you, you’re not alone. A lot of us function in the day-to-day world with inadequate rest.

Lack of good sleep and rest has numerous negative health aspects. I won’t go into all of them, but suffice it to say that if you’re tired, you can’t focus on objectives you want to achieve, especially if you’re a cyclist. But according to an article over at Bicycling.com, there are seven stretches you can do before bed to help you relax so you can have deep, restorative sleep each night.

Use Yoga Stretches to Relax Before Bed

Yoga isn’t an activity that excites me. However, I admit I’ve never really tried it. Plus, the fact that I’m a cyclist automatically means I’m not that limber and probably wouldn’t easily get into one of those poses. However, as the years go by, I’m starting to see the practical aspects of the activity.

But the stretches you’ll do before bed are not meant to be physically intense. As Bicycling Magazine says, they are meant to help you relax and focus on deep breathing. In fact, they say these moves “can diminish tension in achy muscles, promote mindfulness, and help quiet a brain that’s swirling with stress.”

These Stretches Are Best for Cyclists

There are a whole host of yoga poses one can do. Some of them are very intense and, as mentioned earlier, can possibly cause discomfort or even pain. Keep in mind, though, that any pre-bedtime stretching should have the following effects and, ultimately, help you be a better cyclist out on the road.

• Reduce stress
• Reduce anxiety
• Help alleviate tension that causes insomnia
• Relax hips, glutes, quads, calves, and all areas used in cycling

It’s important to note that if you’ve never done yoga before, these stretches don’t require standing on your head or contorting your body in an unusual way. So, don’t worry that you won’t be able to do them. But if the stretch doesn’t help you to relax and to practice deep breathing, then skip it. There’s no law stating you have to do all seven.

Relax and Stretch Without Pain

The truth is, you may find you don’t need to do all these stretches. So, don’t push yourself too hard, and when you start to feel centered and relaxed, you may wish to stop. That’s fine.

If you do anything past that point, it might be detrimental. Go to the article on Bicycling Magazine’s website to read the details about how to perform each stretch/ pose. Here are the names of the stretches and the positive effects of doing each of them.

• Seated Pose – Helps with breathing and preparation for subsequent stretches
• Yogi squat – This is a deep squat that stretches hips and glutes
• Downward Facing Dog – Stretches hamstrings and calves
• Pigeon Pose – Opens your hips to relax muscles
• Bridge Pose – Extends the hips and stretches the quads
• Supine Spinal Twist – Stretches your back, glutes, and thighs
• Savasana – No movement or stretching involved, use it to focus on deep breathing.

Last Thoughts

These stretches, if done correctly, can help you to relieve the tension built up from a bike ride. When you are done with all of them (or some of them), you should feel relaxed and ready to sleep.

Keep in mind, though, that if you’re new to yoga, it may take a bit of time to get your body into these different positions or to even feel the benefit after you’ve done them. That’s fine, your body will adapt just like had to for that first major road ride. Just stay focused on what you want to achieve and you will get to the place you need to be.