I Tried Using a Theragun for Sleep: Here’s What Happened

As somebody with each PTSD and quite a lot of musculoskeletal ache, I am up rather a lot at evening. I all the time wake a number of occasions, and I battle to fall again asleep. So I’m usually sport to strive any hack which may assist.

Once I heard that therapeutic massage weapons can doubtlessly enhance the standard of your sleep, I made a decision to strive a “one-week massage gun for sleep problem.” I’ve had success utilizing a therapeutic massage gun after train to cut back muscle soreness and enhance my vary of movement, so I figured it didn’t sound loopy that it may additionally assist me sleep higher.

The analysis behind utilizing a therapeutic massage gun for sleep

Therabody performed a study that requested 73 wholesome members (ages 18 to 40) to comply with the Theragun Restoration and Sleep protocols whereas sporting a Biostrap wrist sensor to trace their high quality and amount of sleep and restoration.

The topics had been adopted for 5 weeks. In the course of the first two, baseline information was collected with out utilizing any type of therapeutic massage gun. Then, topics carried out the Theragun Restoration and Sleep protocols with the Theragun Elite half-hour earlier than mattress in addition to restoration therapeutic massage gun protocols instantly after train for 2 weeks. In the course of the remaining week, they returned to their regular sleep routines with out the therapeutic massage gun.

Associated Tales

Outcomes confirmed that 87 % of the research members fell asleep extra rapidly utilizing the Theragun—4 minutes and 15 seconds sooner, on common. Moreover, 70 % of the members had fewer wakings through the evening.

Perhaps most notably, after utilizing the Theragun Elite instantly after train and half-hour earlier than mattress following the Therabody app‘s sleep routine, 100% of the themes reported enhancements of their total high quality of life. Who doesn’t need that?

How I used my Theragun for sleep

After all, I’m a case research of 1, and this wasn’t some type of well-controlled scientific research with captured sleep monitoring information. However I made a decision to see how this technique might work for me, utilizing my Theragun Pro.

Simply as I used to be about to embark by myself take a look at, Therabody introduced a partnership with Oura ring to create a sleep therapeutic massage gun protocol within the Therabody app. Excellent timing.

The Therabody sleep protocol is a completely guided, six-minute routine, focusing on areas of the physique that are likely to have built-up stress, just like the neck, decrease again, forearms, quads, shins, and toes. Every space will get a 30-second therapy, which looks like simply lengthy sufficient to loosen issues up with out taking endlessly to get by way of the whole-body wind-down. The protocol makes use of lighter strain, which is alleged to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, or the “relaxation and digest” system, whereas heavy strain can lead you to be extra alert.

What occurred once I used a Theragun each evening earlier than mattress

My regular sleep routine is to go to mattress round 9:30 pm and to get away from bed round 5:30 am, so I used the Theragun Pro at 9:00 each evening for per week, doing a three-day lead-in with out it to determine a baseline. Listed below are my outcomes (don’t decide me—I get up a lot!):

Baseline nights

In the course of the baseline three nights, I went to mattress at simply earlier than 9:30 every evening. These are the approximate occasions I awakened:

• 10/14: 10:30 pm, 11:45 pm, 1:10 am, 3:00 am, 5:30 am
• 10/15: 10:20 pm, 11:40 pm, 1:20 am, 2:25 am, 5:20 am
• 10/16: 10:15 pm, 10:45 pm, 11:20 pm, 2:00 am, 3:10 am, 4:55 am

Evening one utilizing the sleep protocol

As somebody who’s well-acquainted with anatomy, I discovered the sleep protocol simple to comply with, however in the event you’re much less aware of particular muscle teams, it is perhaps useful to do a dry run with out the therapeutic massage gun on to look at the app and observe. (As a perfectionist, I used to be consistently trying on the app to ensure I used to be pinpointing all the appropriate spots.)

As soon as it was time to get in mattress, I didn’t really feel like I fell asleep any sooner. Truthfully, I feel it took about 10 to fifteen minutes longer as a result of I appeared keyed up, so I used to be form of bummed about that.

Nonetheless, I solely awakened thrice within the evening! This will not be a victory for the typical particular person, but it surely was two-plus fewer occasions for me.

Nights 2 and three

The second and third nights went higher. I used to be nervous that it will take a very long time to go to sleep once more, however the reverse occurred. One evening, I used to be out like a light-weight and the opposite it was about on par with my standard sleep timing. I continued to solely get up thrice (yay!).

Notably, I additionally skilled a lot much less ache at evening and awakened feeling much less stiff.

Evening 4

This was a tricky evening. I did a tough kettlebell exercise through the day and was tremendous achy at bedtime. It was additionally an emotionally powerful day for me and I couldn’t flip off my mind. Even after utilizing the therapeutic massage gun, I used to be nonetheless mendacity there stressed for over an hour, so I truly caved and took a Tylenol. Fortunately, it took the sting off of my ache and I ultimately fell asleep.

Nights 5 by way of 7

The final three nights, I used to be like a brand new particular person (new sleeper?). I fell asleep rapidly, awakened two or thrice per evening (two awakenings is my private file now!), and felt much less stiff and sore once I acquired up within the morning.

My takeaway: Did the Theragun assist me sleep?

I initially set out simply to check this for only a week, and since I’m often all about simplifying my bedtime routine, I figured I’d cease as quickly because the week was over. However now, I would simply hold it going.

Though I haven’t been totally satisfied that I’m positively sleeping significantly better, I’m completely positive it’s a minimum of serving to to calm down my thoughts and it’s actually stress-free my muscle tissues and easing among the achiness I often wrestle with at evening.

Subsequent up? I need to strive utilizing the Oura ring to reap the benefits of the distinctive partnership with the Theragun massage gun sleep protocol. As a numbers lady myself, I’d love to truly monitor my sleep cycles and sleep high quality for a bit extra of a quantitative analysis of the advantages. For now, it looks as if I’ve acquired a brand new bedtime routine that’s working—and I’m actually going to run with that!