Coaching practices for Muscle Relaxation Before Bed

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Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?

  • I get into bed and my body is still humming
  • It’s not really my thoughts keeping me up, it’s my body
  • I climb into bed exhausted but my body hasn’t gotten the message
  • By bedtime I’m still buzzing from the day and I get into bed wired
  • When I try to "just relax" my body it does nothing

Practices that may help

  1. Use PMR to wind down for sleep
    Run the sequence lying in bed to lower physical arousal and ease the transition to sleep.
    Progressive Muscle Relaxation, Made Practical
  2. Progressive muscle relaxation to lower physical arousal
    Systematically tense and release muscle groups from feet to head to lower the physiological arousal that blocks sleep onset.
    The Wind-Down Routine: Engineering Your Path to Sleep
  3. Use relaxation training before bed
    Practice a structured relaxation technique to lower physiological arousal before sleep.
    CBT for Insomnia (CBT-I), Made Practical
  4. Evening yoga routine for sleep
    A gentle 15-minute yoga sequence 30–60 minutes before bed lowers cortisol and core temperature to accelerate sleep onset.
    Yoga for Stress: What the Research Shows
  5. The core tense-and-release cycle
    Tense one muscle group for several seconds, then release fully and notice the contrast.
    Progressive Muscle Relaxation, Made Practical
  6. Progressive muscle relaxation — using tension to find release
    Systematically tense each muscle group for 5–10 seconds, then release, to identify and dissolve chronic tension your nervous system has stopped noticing.
    The Relaxation Body-Mind, Made Practical
  7. Progressive muscle relaxation: the foundation
    Systematically tense and release each muscle group to build awareness of what relaxation physically feels like.
    Applied Relaxation, Made Practical
  8. Progressive Muscle Relaxation, Made Practical
    Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR), developed by physician Edmund Jacobson, is a tense-and-release sequence: you deliberately tighten a muscle group for a few seconds, then release it, working through the body so you can feel and let go of physical tension you did not know you were holding. It is a well-established clinical relaxation skill, useful for everyday stress and tension — best treated as a self-help tool, with professional support sought for severe or persistent anxiety.
  9. Coordinate tensing and releasing with the breath
    Tense on the inhale, release on a slow exhale, to stack a breathing lever onto the muscle work.
    Progressive Muscle Relaxation, Made Practical
  10. Tension-release contrast (the core tense-and-release cycle)
    Deliberately tense a muscle group for five to ten seconds, then release fully — the contrast teaches you what genuine relaxation feels like.
    Edmund Jacobson’s Progressive Relaxation, Made Practical

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