This Is Why You Feel Stiff After Waking up (And What You Can Do About It)

FitnessMarch 31, 2020

Has it ever happened to you that you felt great while going to bed, but wake up feeling wobbly in the morning? Can you remember whether you took too many pillows or just put your limbs in an uncomfortable posture? In both cases, you might start your morning with stiffness and tightness. Let’s find out the possible reasons for morning stiffness and how to fix it.

Possible Reasons For Morning Stiffness

When your muscles are under strain for a long time, you end up with stiffness. Unless you change sides in sleep, your body remains in the same position for seven to eight hours. If you happen to sleep in a funny posture, you wake up with loads of discomfort.

Try the following tips to ward off your stiffness. Some stretches and releases before sleeping might do to you a world of good. The next morning you will feel a sense of rejuvenation and freshness.

Hip Flexor Release

Lie down on your face and place the lacrosse ball below your hipbone on the left. Now put an adequate and bearable weight on the ball. Bend your left knee back to form an angle of 90 degrees. Move the left leg from one side to another to a tolerable extent. After repeating this for 30 seconds and giving a two-minute gap, change sides, and repeat the same.

King Cobra Stretch

Lie down on your face and keep your hands at the sides wider than your chest-width, and your palms turned outwards a little. Move the right leg upwards to 90-degrees. Press your hands down, lifting your shoulders and keeping your arms straight. Squeeze the glutes keeping your shoulder blades back and down. The hips should touch the floor with your elbows near your sides. Looking up, twist your body to the right. Return to the starting position and repeat to the left.

Femoris Stretch

Stand with your legs apart at your hip-width. Bend the right knee, keeping your right foot close to glutes and grab the ankle. Keep the knees in proper alignment and tighten the abs. Pull the foot to the glutes until you realize a stretch. Hold on to the posture for 30 seconds and release. Repeat it on the left.

Pec Release

Face the wall with a ball on the chest just below your collarbone and away from your armpit at two inches. Lean and put a bearable weight on the ball and shift from one side to the other Move the arms and your shoulders up, down, back and forth while leaning on the ball. Carry this on for approximately 45 seconds.

SCAP Complex

Stand with the feet apart at your shoulder-width. Take the ends of a resistance band in each hand and grab it. Pull them to form the shape of a ‘T’ with the body. Your shoulder blades should be squeezed together.

Stand in this posture, raising your arms and turning your palms forward and thus bringing the resistance band back to form a ‘T-shape.’ Don’t forget to keep the shoulder blades squeezed together.

Upper Trap Release

Stand and keep your shoulder under a bar. You can also place a lacrosse ball between your neck and the edge of your shoulder that is restricted. Slide from left to right until you find the soft spot. After that, keep shrugging your shoulders for an approximate 45 seconds in an up and down motion. Do this until the tension in your spot eases out.

The right stretches can ease out the tension in your tender area. Most of the time, you are in a fix contemplating how to go about the day with such stiffness and tenderness. A stiff back or a stiff neck is the last thing you would ask for at the start of a day. You can ward off all the aches with ease if you prep your muscles with some stretches before jumping on to your bed. An everyday routine of these will aid you in avoiding causes behind all the stiffness. And what does that mean? You get to sleep well, feel adequately rested, wake up feeling fresh, and fine! So, here’s to a great sleep and a strain-free morning. Have a healthy morning every day!