Bedtime Rituals for a Compulsive Mind

We spend at least one third of our time staying in bed. Have you ever thought of doing some bedtime rituals? Seriously, they may be conduce to your longevity—if not, at least, beneficial to your overall health.

Before going to bed or while lying on your bed, do the following:

• Lie on your back. Bend both knees.
• Use both hands to pull your knees towards your chest, and breathe naturally.
• Hold for one to two minutes, and relax.
• Straighten your legs, putting your arms and hands at your sides. Relax for one to two minutes.
• Take a deep breath, and stretch both arms upwards above your head.
• Then, slowly bring your hands down while you breathe out.
• Massage your body from your chest to your abdomen for a few minutes.
• Bring both hands at your sides, and relax.
• Repeat as necessary until you feel drowsy and fall asleep.

In the morning, as soon as you are fully awake, do the "wake-up stretches" before you get up to "awaken" your body and your senses, thereby instrumental in preventing aches and pains in your body.

According to Dr. Robert Oexman, director of the Sleep to Live Institute, "The greatest incidence of slipped discs occurs  within 30 to 60 minutes after we wake up."

Extend your arms over your head and extend your legs as far as possible, as evidenced by the stretch in the tips of your fingers and toes. Meanwhile, inhale deeply through your nose. Then breathe out deeply and slowly while drawing your arms down along the side your body with your palms facing up. You will feel full relaxation in your legs. Repeat the stretches several times to energize as well as to relax your body.

Do a single or double knee hug. Start by bringing your knee into your chest. Massage your hip joint by moving your leg in circles in both directions. Repeat with the other knee. Finally, hug both knees into your chest, raising your nose to your knees as much as possible. Now relax your body and let your knees fall gently down to either side. Repeat the whole process several times for stretch and relaxation.

All of the above are simple and easy to do before going to sleep and before getting up. Sadly, many of us simply go to bed when we are too exhausted from watching the television; worse, we may even pop up a sleeping pill. In the morning, we get up in a hurry as soon as we hear the alarm clock buzzing. Come to think of it, we are living in a compulsive world, aren’t we? We have no time to do little things that will have great impact on our health, while we have time texting trivial matters.

Bottom line: many of us simply have a compulsive mind, that cannot and will not want to slow down.

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau