By Kevin Shelley

The ceiling fan just isn’t that interesting. I conclude this every time I suffer from insomnia, lying in bed for hours without wanting to get up but unable to fall asleep. I often set the stage for wakefulness myself: too much caffeinated tea before I go to bed or researching something on the internet that puts my mind to work and makes it difficult to turn off.

My episodes with insomnia are generally easy to understand, with clear-cut causes and solutions, but insomnia, overall, is a major clinical problem in the United States.

Sleep science can be surprisingly complex and involved, and new discoveries are emerging rapidly.

I have found the following exercises beneficial in reducing insomnia for casual sufferers. Easy to perform, they are generally well tolerated by my clients, but I suggest that you discuss them with your medical provider to ensure they are right for you.

5 Exercises to Inspire Sleep

I suggest doing the walking exercise approximately one and a half to two hours before bed to allow your body to metabolically peak and then reduce in time for sleep. The rest can be done right before bedtime—the last three are fine to do in bed.

1. Walking

Walking tops my list of beneficial exercises for many conditions. In addition to its other benefits, walking can serve as an excellent mechanism for calming the body and mind.

Step 1: Pace this walk at a moderate pace and avoid dwelling on stressful or busy thoughts. Focus instead on sights, sounds, smells, and the feeling of the body moving.

Step 2: Walk for 30 minutes, practicing slow, relaxed breathing and letting your body untense.

Modification: If you struggle to walk for any distance, just do your best. I encourage mobility as a way to not only prepare yourself for upcoming sleep but also to maintain your functional mobility.

Why I like it: A leisurely stroll in the evening is great for mental health and can be performed almost anywhere.

2. Cat/Cow

The cat/cow exercise uses light planking movement and significant spinal mobility, providing an easily controllable way to relax spinal joints and muscles.

Step 1: Start on your hands and knees with your hands under your shoulders and knees right under your hips. Keep your arms straight and elbows unlocked.

Step 2: Beginning at the base of the spine, tuck your tailbone and roll up one vertebra at a time until your chin is tucked deeply in toward your throat and your back is pressing upward—like an arched cat. Hold this position for five seconds.

Step 3: While keeping your chin tucked, begin unfurling from the base of your spine, rolling through one vertebra at a time, focusing on length, like a row of dominoes, each leading into the next. When you reach your neck, continue up through the crown of your head, keeping your nose forward. This is the “cow” position. Hold for five seconds.

Step 4: Rolling through both positions counts as 1 repetition. Try to perform 3 sets of 12 repetitions.

Modification: If a hands-and-knee position doesn’t work for you, sit on the edge of a chair with your hands on your knees and perform the same rolling spinal movements.

Why I like it: This yoga maneuver is great for stretching muscles and also works on contract/relax movements that help destress your body by activating the parasympathetic nervous system.

Ceridwen Hunter/The Epoch Times

3. Supine Spinal Twist

In yoga, this pose is called “supta matsyendrasana,” which I always have trouble pronouncing but love performing. Where cat/cow works with back-and-forth movements, the supine spinal twist is a spinal rotation that works great for stretching pectoral and neck muscles.

Practice Tip: Supine spinal twist is highly restorative, thus great before bed. To optimize the effects, breathe slowly and consciously throughout the exercise. Focusing on the breath is a way to release the busy thoughts of the day and sink deeper into relaxation.

Step 1: Lie on the floor or a bed on your back with your arms straight out in a T position. Your legs should be loosely side-by-side.

Step 2: Slowly bend your right knee and place your foot on the opposite side of your left leg, just above the knee.

Step 3: Place your left hand on your right knee and slowly draw it to the left leg while rotating your hips until your right knee either touches the ground or as far as it goes while keeping both shoulders on the ground. Avoid pulling the leg beyond where your body twists naturally, but the weight of your hand is fine.

Step 4: Turn your head to the right as far as you comfortably can. Hold for 30 seconds or up to a minute before slowly returning to the starting position and repeating the maneuver on the other side.

Why I like it: I enjoy this exercise because it stretches my pectorals and gives me a great spinal stretch. I usually have to ease into the final 25 to 30 degrees of rotation, but I am always glad I did—and it’s a great pose to unwind before sleep.

Ceridwen Hunter/The Epoch Times

4. Supine Stretch

This final stretch works wonders to decrease stress, giving you a leg up on moving into the best energy for a good night’s sleep.

Practice Tip: Avoid pointing your toes hard during this exercise because that can provoke charley horses. It’s okay to point your toes a bit, just not as hard as you can. You might like to lie diagonally on the bed so you can fully stretch without bumping the wall.

Step 1: Lie on your back, with your legs side-by-side and arms straight up over your head. Make yourself as long as you can.

Step 2: Stretch long in both directions, reaching up with your hands and moving your feet down as far away as you can—stretch your whole body at once. The movement won’t be large but will be discernible.

Step 3: Hold for the stretch for five seconds before relaxing your muscles, and remember to breathe throughout.

Step 4: Stretching and then relaxing counts as 1 repetition. Try to perform 5 repetitions.

Modification: If your arms don’t go all the way over your head, just move them up as far as you can, using your shoulders as the stretching focal point. This exercise takes time and close attention to master fully because the movements are small and span the length of your body.

Why I like it: You can do this exercise anywhere, but best of all, it can be performed right in the bed you’re going to fall asleep in.

Ceridwen Hunter/The Epoch Times

5. Box Breathing

There are many different breathing techniques for relaxation and preparing for sleep. This one is great for settling your body and helping your mind let go of the day. It’s known as box breathing because you visualize a drawn square box and move through the breathing pattern as you mentally trace the lines.

Practice Tip: While you can perform this exercise while sitting, I suggest doing it while lying in bed to best prepare you for sleep. You’ve prepared your whole body for sleep with the preceding exercises—now it’s time to let it reap the rewards while you focus on your breath.

Step 1: Get comfortable in bed, in whatever position you normally sleep in. Rest for approximately 5 minutes to let your body slow down and your breathing normalize.

Step 2: Inhale completely for a slow count of four. As you breathe in, visualize traveling up the left side of the box. Next, pause your breath for four seconds without closing off your throat while visualizing traveling across the top of the box.

Step 3: Slowly and softly exhale for a four-second count of four while visualizing traveling down the right side of the box. Pause on empty for another four seconds as you mentally travel across the bottom of the box.

Step 4: Traveling all four sides of the box while practicing the breathing stages counts as 1 repetition. Try to perform 10 trips around the box, feeling free to add or reduce reps as you see fit.

Modification: Can’t pause the breath for a count of four? Try a three- or two-count instead. If you find it difficult to pause your breath at all, try paced breathing instead. Slowly breathe in for four seconds and then exhale for four seconds, and continue that relaxed pace of breathing while allowing your brain to move into neutral by clearing your thoughts.

Why I like it: It’s as simple as breathing yet induces a definite change in body tension and brain function, making it the perfect segue for drifting off to sleep.

Beyond these simple exercises, Pilates, yoga, tai-chi, and stretching can be significantly beneficial. Swimming, like walking, is also an excellent way to prepare your body to rest—for those of you with convenient access to water.

I hope that these exercises help with improving your sleep. If you still struggle to get the appropriate level of sleep each night, I suggest speaking with your medical provider. There may just be a solution out there with your name on it.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of USNN World News. USNN World News welcomes professional discussion and friendly debate.