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Why do I wake up in the middle of the night to stretch?

I recently Googled this question and couldn’t find an answer.

Surely I’m not the only person who does this?

The scenario goes like this…

  • I work a lot at a computer
  • I enjoy stretching and the tension release it brings
  • I don’t always feel like stretching
  • However, sometimes when I wake up in the middle of the night (3am for example), I often feel like getting up to stretch, before going back to sleep

I can only assume it’s part of a tension release thing.

I’m probably tense and stiff during the day… then I get to the evening… and am too tired to stretch adequately before bed.

So then after x amount of sleep – the body is ready to release tension through stretching.

As per the diagram above (source), there also appears to be a natural dip in cortisol levels around 3am… which then picks up gradually towards wake time.

Thus, it may be easier for the body to stretch and relax then.

As opposed to first thing as you get out of bed… when your body is primed to deal with the days tasks.

Anyhow, that’s the best analysis I can come up with.

If you also do this – let me know in the comments!

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