13 Morning Stretches You Can Start Doing in Bed

June 23, 2025 / Kevin harson /

Even if you spend the entire night sleeping on your back, (the most doctor-approved sleeping position), you probably wake up feeling a little creaky and stiff. Any prolonged time you spend being sedentary can make you feel that way, sleeping included. That’s why it’s good for your body to have a short morning stretch routine.

Stretching in the morning helps loosen stiff muscles and joints, which will help set you up for success whether you’re headed to the gym or to sit at your desk for the next eight hours. (And if it’s normally the latter, you should probably stretch at the end of the day too.)

We talked to leading stretching experts who help athletes and average Joes alike avoid injuries about what a good morning stretch routine looks like. The 13 stretches rounded up here get their expert seal of approval as the best ones to start the day with.

The Benefits of Having a Morning Stretch Routine

One of the main pros of having a morning stretch routine is that it primes the body for movement.

“It allows the muscles to get a bit warmer as we start to walk around to make coffee and get ready for the day,” says physical therapist and Out Wellness owner Syd Young.

That’s in part because moving around after you wake up helps mobilize the muscles and joints, says Jennifer Graham, a physical therapist and owner of Graham Therapy and Fitness. She recommends starting your morning stretch routine even before getting out of bed as a gentle way to get the body moving.

“A morning stretch while in bed allows the initiation of range of motion in a non-weight-bearing position,” she says. “This can help make those first steps a little easier before applying weight bearing through the joints.”

When you’re sleeping, blood flow is slowed down, so Graham says that stretches done in bed and out of bed also help restart that flow of blood to the muscles. If you have a physically demanding job or are about to work out, she says that stretching in the morning is associated with muscle activation, injury prevention, and reduced perception of effort. Simply put, the strain you put on your body won’t feel as intense and you’ll move easier throughout the day.

“Stretching in the morning helps to improve your freedom and ease of movement, or how far you can bend, reach, and turn,” says stretch coach and sports injury specialist Brad Walker, who is also an exercise scientist at the Stretching Institute. “It also reduces aches, pains, and muscle and joint tightness. Plus, it helps to improve posture and coordination, promotes circulation, and increases energy.”

With all these benefits in mind, give the below routine a shot. These are the best morning stretches to prime your body for the day—no matter what it holds—according to the experts we interviewed.