Did you know why gentle hand massage can help you to fall asleep and sleep well?
Your hands are sensitive and well-connected with your brain.
This explains why by doing gentle hand-massage you can evoke a calming feeling and promote calmness in your brain, making it easier to fall asleep and get more deep quality sleep.
Sleep-Inducing Hand Massage
Backed by educational neuroscience, one of the most effective ways to fall asleep is through doing gentle sleep-inducing movements. Simply do this for 5-10 minutes, in bed, when you wish to fall asleep. Pay attention to how you breathe, feel the contact your hands make with each other, and make small, slow, and gentle movements.
In the videos here below you can see several ways of doing hand-massage to relax your fingers.
Too high or low support will twist your neck muscles, which can affect your whole body.
If you prefer to lie on your back, make the support thinner than when you lie on your side.
Fold the towel so that your neck feels well supported and you can roll your head easily from side to side.
Note that the alignment of your neck often reflects first the way it is when you stand or sit.
Therefore, after some time, it might be necessary to adjust the hight
If you lie on your side, create a support so that your neck is in line with your spine.
Experiment with different heights, until you feel your neck is as relaxed as possible and free to move.
If necessary combine a folded towel with a flat pillow
Be aware that some pillows get compressed during the night and won't give you consistent support.
A folded towel, on the other hand, maintains its shape very well.
Once you have created the right support for your head, move it a little backward, so that nothing or as little as possible touches your cheek.
A gentle touch on the cheek triggers a rooting reflex, which activates the neck muscles to turn your head.
Ideally, the core support is under the side of the skull, behind the ear, where you can find the center of balance of your head.
Note also that your neck doesn't need any support. Therefore, avoid squeezing a soft pillow under your neck as it will bother you by limiting body circulation and free movement.
The support you get is firm, yet comfortable and the flat surface promotes comfort and ease in movement.
Some weeks ago, my mother-in-law told she had a stiff neck every morning. When I asked her how she supported her head, she told having a basic, soft, and quite a thick pillow. I then told her how I support my head with a folded bath-towel, sometimes combined with a thin pillow. This allows me to adjust the support so that my head is well balanced and free to move. It is a great solution, functional and cheap.
Thanks for reading and watching!
Wishing you the best of sleep!
Oliver
As always — thanks for reading.
Questions and comments are welcome!
