Light stretching before and after exercise is usually considered a good idea to keep blood flowing and your muscles loose. However, you sometimes feel a wave of exhaustion after stretching, even if you haven’t exercised yet.
Stretching can make you sleepy because you are using energy, and your muscles are then becoming tired. Your nervous system’s control of your muscles can also decrease after prolonged stretching, making you feel sleepy and moving becomes a chore.
Continue reading below to learn more about why stretching might be making you feel sleepy and what you might be able to do about it.
Is This Common?
It is normal and common to feel a little tired after a good stretch because you are using more energy than you would be just standing or sitting down.
Depending on the kind of stretching you are doing, your body could be releasing hormones and neurotransmitters that make you feel tired because your body has associated a particular stretching routine with going to sleep.
However, if you are feeling run down or exhausted simply after stretching, there may be an issue. Unfortunately, this is not as common, and it may be worth consulting a healthcare professional to determine the cause.
What Causes it To Happen?
The majority of cases when someone stretches and feels tired afterward comes down to their muscles using energy reserves that they may not normally use. Unfortunately, this leaves your muscles feeling tired and weak afterward as a result.
You may feel tired after stretching, but the actual cause lies elsewhere. For example, if you are stretching as part of a cooldown routine after a workout, it could be that your fatigue is finally catching up to you as or after you stretch.
You could associate stretching with your sleepiness, but the reality, it is the workout that has got you feeling tired.
Is it a Bad Thing?
Being tired after stretching is not necessarily a bad thing. As we talked about earlier, however, if you feel completely drained of energy after some light stretching, it may be wise to seek help.
In general, being tired after stretching is good because it means you got your body to do some work. This can increase blood circulation, flexibility, and mental health while decreasing some negative things like stress.
Just be sure to keep an eye on how tired you feel and for how long to determine whether or not there is an issue you should be concerned about.
Will Drinking More Water Help?
Drinking more water can help with feelings of tiredness. This is because being properly hydrated can affect the hormones you release both during the day and at night. Without the regular release of these hormones, you can feel more tired after stretching than you should.
Water alone may not be enough in some cases, so you should look at hydrating yourself with a drink that is full of electrolytes and salts that you may have lost through sweat during your stretching or a workout.
Hydrating can also make stretching easier as the joints and muscles are adequately lubricated for all your movements.
Can You Stop it From Happening?
You may not be able to fully stop yourself from feeling tired after stretching, and that’s okay. If you reduce the sleepy feeling by drinking water and remaining active, you can go on with the rest of your day without a problem.
In fact, it would be ill-advised to completely remove the tired feeling from stretching or workouts. This is because being tired is just one way your body naturally tells you that it has reached its limit. If you continue, you could cause bodily harm by ignoring this warning.
Final Thoughts on Why Does Stretching Make You Sleepy
Feeling tired or sleepy after a stretch can be a normal and healthy occurrence. It shows that your body has to work, and it may be telling you it’s time to take a break.
However, if you feel like you cannot do anything else for a long time after stretching, you might be experiencing something adverse.
It could be something like an iron deficiency or more, so we recommend you consult a professional who can diagnose you and suggest a healthy course of action.