I have decided to do a mini-series on Thursdays to act as a place to put my ponderings about yoga, meditation, Ayurveda and all things wellness. Come back for slightly off-kilter thinking and unpopular opinions back up by science. Let’s dive in.
Vacuuming can help you sleep.
As a yoga therapist specializing in sleep, I view most things through the lense of a good night’s rest. The other day I had an Aha moment while getting ready for work: I should be vacuuming in the morning!
Bear with me, I promise there is sound logic here:
- Core body temperature is an integral part of sleep and wake. Cooling down before bed is essential to be able to fall asleep.
- Stimilating activity before bed makes it difficult to fall asleep. Stimulating activity in the morning helps you wake up.
- Generally we vaccuum in a well-lit room to be able to see what we are doing. Bright, overhead lighting works like sunlight to wake us up.
Reflecting on all these things I realized that I was actually making it more difficult to fall asleep by leaving my vacuuming until after dinner.
And I was missing out on all the benefits of early morning movement:
- Increasing core body temperature first thing in the morning signals the body to wake up.
- Our muscles act as an endocrine gland releasing “hope molecules” that boost our feelings of well-being and relieve stress.
- Having a small win first thing in the morning creates momentum to create more wins throughout the day.
- Plus, vacuuming is a pretty brainless, easy activity. Other forms of movement may be too physically or mentally demanding first thing in the day.
It is a basic principle of insomnia treatment and sleep hygiene to exericise, especially first thing in the morning, but what exactly do we mean by exercise?
As little as two minutes of morning exercise has been shown to have beneficial effects on mood and energy. “Exercise” can be anything that gets your whole body moving and increases body temperature.
So next time you unload the dishwasher, think about how you are reaching, stretching and bending. When you make the bed, take joy in huffing and puffing as you struggle to tuck the sheets in. If vaccuming is too noisy first thing in the morning, try dusting, walking to the mailbox or anything quiet your heart desires. Give it a super charged boost by playing music you love.
Good luck with your morning movement and sweet dreams!
Register here:
https://catalog.yogafit.com/product/yogafit-for-sleep-live-online/
Use code SPRING2025 for 20% off
ZenwithGwen 