So I’ve been doing stretching routines before sleep lately and it has really helped a lot with my insomnia and it has prevented my body from waking up in the middle of the night. What physiological or chemical effects does stretching have on sleep?
In: Biology
Tight muscles and joints cause general stimulation (or even pain). Stimulation during sleep or attempting to sleep keeps you awake, and causes you to need to adjust your position to relieve the extra tightness in the night.
Chemically, this would mean extra norepinephrine in the brain from the stimulation, and the stretching causes more cannabinoid and endorphin signaling and reduces norepinephrine signaling. I’m sure melatonin and serotonin signaling are also altered, but I’m not sure how.
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