7 Essential Morning Stretches for a Great Start to Your Day

Estimated reading time: 6 minutesDo you wake up stiff, tight, and maybe even in pain in the morning? I hear this so often from the hypermobile community. Often during the night, the lack of movement can lead to some tight fascia. If we can get the fascia hydrated with some gentle movement or dynamic stretching we can free up that stiffness and get things gliding.

If you’ve been following me for a while, you will probably know I am not a huge fan of static stretching if you have hypermobility and/or EDS. There are many reasons for this, which I go into detail in my recent blog post.

I am however not against stretching full stop. Like with most things hypermobility related, it depends on how it is done and what our intention is with stretching. If we have pain in a particular area, pushing into a stretch may not be the best thing to do. There is evidence supporting the use of dynamic stretching and I explore some of these ideas in this video  and again here.

I’ve listed below 7 of my favourite morning stretches. They may not be suitable for everyone so please do adapt or change as your body needs. It is super important that we don’t force or push into stretches at any time of the day. But in the morning, we may be feeling a little tighter than later in the day, so extra care is needed.

Why Morning Stretching Matters

Many people enjoy stretching in the mornings. In fact, the Refreshing Morning Wake-Up class in The Zebra Club is one of your most watched classes. Stretching in the morning can be beneficial with the right approach for our hypermobility. A morning routine can be a simple, effective way to improve our physical health, reduce stress, prepare us for the day ahead, and hydrate our fascia.

In general, morning movements performed in a safe, gentle yet dynamic way can help with:

• Improving our mobility: We can often feel stiff after being in bed for many hours – even though we have hypermobility. It is good to gently move to get the tissues hydrated – especially if you are heading to a desk job for the day.
• Increasing blood flow and circulation: This is particularly important if you have dysautonomia too. Stretching stimulates blood flow, delivering oxygen to the muscles and tissues.
• It can reduce muscle pain and tension: If we hold our tissues with tension, which many of us with hypermobility do, they can start to complain and become irritated. Gentle movements in and out of a stretch could help reduce this.
• We know that we have a tendency to hang off our joints and give in to gravity in our postures: Many of us have tight pec muscles at the front of the chest that can contribute to pulling the shoulders forward. This is just one example of course of a holding pattern. Encouraging the body to move in multiple directions can help improve our overall posture.
• Stretching in the morning can have a calming effect on the nervous system: It can reduce stress. I tend to follow my morning routine with a meditation practice so I am working with mind and body every morning.
• Any kind of morning movements are going to help release the feel good hormones which can improve our mood.

While there is no research on stretching in hypermobility and very little on the benefit of morning stretching we did find a few interesting tidbits that may apply to some of us.

In one study on exercise and stretching in postmenopausal women, those who attended at least 50-80% of stretching sessions throughout a year were significantly less likely to use sleep medications. Though not statistically significant, there was also a trend toward decreased risk of poor-quality sleep. These stretching sessions included a 5-minute walk around the room, 45 minutes of upper-body and lower-body stretching, and a 10-minute progressive relaxation session that was attended once a week, and participants were encouraged to stretch at home for 15-30 minutes 3 times a week (1).

Another study was performed on stretching in the morning for people with chronic plantar fasciitis for at least 10 months (n=82). One group did plantar fascia stretching, and the other did achilles tendon stretching. Both groups experienced decreased pain, though the group with the plantar fascia stretching had significantly greater improvement in both “worst pain” and first steps in the morning (2).

We asked The Zebra Club members about how they get moving in the morning – here is what they said:

“I exercise for 30 mins every morning and mentally and physically it gets me ready for the day. I decide what to do based on how I am feeling that day so strength if I’m feeling fresh and strong or more gentle pilates if I’m tired and fragile. My eds makes me very stiff upon waking so it’s practically essential but good for the mood too.” – Cara

“I’m loving the refreshing Energise meditation in the mornings, gives my body a soft gentle stretch. Gets my body ready for a little more movement before going out into world.” – Ian

I love the refreshing morning wake up class but really anything that gets the blood moving. It’s as much about waking up my foggy brain as it is about waking up the rest of my body in the mornings.- Meg

Refreshing morning wake up every single day but I add in other bits so it takes about 30 mins if I do it all. I add rolling movements, vagus nerve things, strengthening and stability things too. Things I’ve found make me feel good after almost two years on TZC.” – Catherine

Top 7 Stretches to Include in Your Morning Routine

1. Pelvic rolls into a bridge

This is always on my morning stretch list. Some days I may just do some gentle pelvic rolls moving the pelvis forward and backwards on the floor. I then add pelvic circles to move the tissues in multiple directions. To open up the front of the hips and lengthen the abdominals, I ease myself up into a bridge. Slowly returning to the floor on an exhale release a lot of tension.

2. Knees-to-chest stretch

A lovely stretch for the lower back and glutes. It can really help relieve low back tension. You can do one leg at a time.  I often then bring both legs up and hug them (a note with this one – if you have a torn labrum or hip impingement, you may not like this one. You may feel a pinching sensation in the front of the hip. If so, please avoid this one).

3. Supported knee circles

Once my legs are in the air, I gently hold the top of my knees and perform slow, circular motions with the legs moving in opposite directions. This really lubricates the hip joints, releasing tension.

4. Spinal twist

Windscreen wipers supine are a great way to introduce a gentle spinal twist.  It can really help with digestion too. Try not to let the legs collapse to the floor when doing this one – keep the movement flowing from side to side.

5. Child’s pose

This is a lovely, gentle way to expand the back body and breathe. Feeling the weight of the pelvis can help relieve a tight lower back. You can use cushions or blankets behind the knees if you have knee pain in this position.

6. CAT

This is a favourite spinal stretch that also introduces a bit of weightbearing for our bone density and strength. Try not to push into this CAT but rather let the spinal muscles flow from head to tail.  CAT positions may not be suitable for everyone – so please check my video The Story of Three Cats for alternative dynamic stretches.

7. Standing forward bend

This is definitely one of my morning favourites although you may find, like me, that you need to bend your knees in the morning when doing this one. That’s perfectly OK. You can find more about this one in this video.

How to Stretch Safely and Effectively

• Begin with gentle movements: With hypermobility, it can be tempting to push into stretches because we can, and go too far without even realizing it. Keep it slow and gentle. Remember you may be feeling stiff from a night’s sleep – ease yourself into moving the tissues.
• Pay attention to your body’s signals: If it hurts acutely or increases existing pain, please stop. You will feel a sensation in the body but it should not hurt.
• Stay consistent with your practice – “little and often”: Like most practices with hypermobility, we want to keep a regular practice. Little and often throughout the day is a great way to keep the fascia hydrated.
• Breathe deeply and mindfully: we often forget about breathing but breath-holding can increase muscular and intrabdominal pressures. Keep the breath soft and quiet. Allow it to relax you. Remember, relaxing does not mean collapsing. You can learn more about breath in this video. FAQ

Here is short morning wake up video, if you’ve got more time, I have a longer class YouTube.

FAQ

Is it good to stretch as soon as you wake up?

It really depends on the individual.  I would start slow and gentle with breathwork before moving onto more dynamic movements.

Should you stretch before bed?

I often encourage my chronic pain patients or people who struggle to sleep to do some gentle moves before bed. We have a whole group of classes for sleep in The Zebra Club. I also have free class of appropriate sleep movements you can try.

Is stretching in bed effective?

For many of us, getting down on the floor can be difficult and painful. So absolutely yes – use the bed if it suits your body.  I often do a few pelvic movements in bed before I get up. This was super important to me when I had a period of low back pain.  Be mindful of very soft mattresses though – it may be harder to maintain proper alignment if you are sinking deeply into the bed.

Jeannie Di Bon

Jeannie Di Bon is a movement therapist, educator and author specializing in hypermobility, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and chronic pain. She is the founder of The Zebra Club app and the creator of the Integral Movement Method.