Sleep Issue: You spent all day glued to your screen—now you’re too hyped to unwind.
“Sometimes forcing calm in a chaotic world just isn’t possible, or even advisable,” says Lisa Sanfilippo, psychotherapist, yoga teacher, and author of Sleep Recovery. “Our bodies are primed to activate the stress response when our natural desire to take action is immobilized.”
In other words, when things are out of your control, your body responds by accumulating tension, which can create anxiety and interfere with sleep. Lisa’s expert advice? Try discharging tension during the day.
“Stomp your feet into the ground, floor, or better yet, earth. Then, through yoga asana, you can pull even more tension out of hotspots where stress collects,” says Sanfilippo. “For example, Eka Pada Supta Virasana (One-Legged Reclined Hero Pose) releases the line of tension from the quads—your thickest muscle group—through the hip flexor and into the abdominals, lengthening the front of the torso, which creates more space for a calming breath.”