To relax your legs before bed, give yourself a short, screen-free wind-down: a warm shower an hour or two before bed, a few slow stretches, a few minutes with your feet up or your legs up the wall, then slow breathing in bed. These are comfort habits, not treatments, and the studies behind them measured sleep, not legs.
- Heavy-feeling legs at night can have many causes. Our guide to why your legs might feel heavy covers them; this page is only about winding down.
- Australian sleep guidance suggests switching screens off 1–2 hours before bed and keeping the last hour for something relaxing[1].
- Legs up the wall is a simple resting position, but we couldn't find any trial that tests it for sleep, relaxation or how legs feel.
- An urge to move your legs when you lie down is a reason to see your GP, not just to change your routine.
Why a bedtime routine, and what it can't do
By evening, a lot of us are carrying the whole day in our legs: a shift at work, hours at a desk, school runs. A wind-down routine won't change what's going on inside your legs. What it can give you is a predictable, screen-free pause that tells you the day is done.
That pause is what Australian sleep guidance recommends. healthdirect suggests a "buffer zone" before bed, when you stop solving problems or planning tomorrow[2]. The Sleep Health Foundation suggests a relaxing routine in the hour before bed, such as a warm bath or quiet reading[1]. In a 2016 national online survey of 1,011 adults, funded by the Sleep Health Foundation, 26% reported both going online just before bed most or every night and having frequent sleep difficulties or daytime impairment[3]. A survey like this shows the two happening together, not that one causes the other.
A simple evening routine for your legs
Think of it as a ritual: the same steps, in the same order, most nights. Here's how it might look if you go to bed at 10.30 pm.
If you're pregnant or have a medical condition, check with your GP or midwife before trying a new routine, including warm baths and lying with your legs raised.
| When | Step | How long |
|---|---|---|
| 8.30–9.30 pm | Warm shower or bath | 10 minutes or more |
| By 9.30 pm | Screens away, lights low | Until bed |
| 10.00 pm | Gentle leg stretches | About 5 minutes |
| 10.05 pm | Feet up or legs up the wall | A few minutes |
| In bed | Slow breathing and toes-up muscle relaxation | A few minutes |
1. Put screens away and set the scene
The Sleep Health Foundation suggests turning screens off 1–2 hours before bed and, if you can, keeping them out of the bedroom[1]. healthdirect adds a few simple extras: a room that's dark, quiet and a comfortable temperature, at least 4 hours between alcohol and bed, and 3 to 7 hours between tea, coffee or caffeinated soft drinks and bed[2].
2. Have a warm shower or bath, 1–2 hours before bed
A 2019 systematic review from the University of Texas at Austin looked at warm showers and baths before bed: 17 studies met its criteria and 13 were combined. The studies used water at about 40–42.5 °C. This was linked with better self-rated sleep quality and, when the shower or bath was taken 1–2 hours before bed for as little as 10 minutes, with falling asleep sooner[4]. The authors say research is still scarce, especially on the best timing and length.
On a sticky summer night in Brisbane or Darwin, a warm shower may be the last thing you want. A cooler shower is still a way to mark the end of the day; it just isn't what those studies tested. For more on summer evenings, see our guide to heavy legs in hot weather.
3. Do a few slow, gentle stretches
Keep it gentle. The Sleep Health Foundation lists moderate exercise among the stimulating things to avoid in the hour before bed[1], so this is a slow stretch, not a workout. Better Health Channel's advice applies: slow, sustained stretches held for about 10 to 20 seconds, no bouncing, and ease off anything that causes pain or discomfort[5]. Three to try:
- Calf stretch: hands on a wall, one foot stepped back with the heel down, front knee bent, until you feel a mild stretch in the back calf. Swap sides.
- Back-of-thigh stretch: lie on your back, loop a towel around one foot and raise that leg until you feel a gentle stretch behind the thigh. Keep the other knee bent.
- Hip and bottom stretch: lie on your back with knees bent, cross one ankle over the opposite knee and draw both legs gently towards you.
What the research says: a 2020 review of 19 trials (1,832 women with sleep problems) linked structured yoga programs with better self-rated sleep quality (a small-to-moderate effect), but found no clear change in insomnia severity (3 trials) and no clear effect in the subgroups of women with breast cancer or around menopause[6]. Programs typically ran for about 10 weeks, with 45–120-minute sessions, mostly compared with a waitlist, so they tell us little about a five-minute bedtime stretch.
If you're pregnant, recovering from surgery or an injury, or have a back, hip or knee problem, ask your GP or physio which stretches suit you.
4. Put your feet up, or try legs up the wall
Sit side-on to a wall, then lie back as you swing your legs up so they rest against it. Shuffle your bottom as close to the wall as feels comfortable; if the backs of your legs pull, move further away or bend your knees. No spare wall? Rest your calves on the couch or a stack of pillows instead.
Putting your feet up at the end of the day is a familiar way to stop and rest. Legs up the wall comes from yoga, where it's known as viparita karani[7]. We couldn't find any trial testing it for sleep, relaxation or how legs feel (Europe PMC search, 5 October 2026). Its appeal is simpler: it gets you lying still, legs up, for a few quiet minutes.
One caution: in a small 2015 study of 20 adults, eye pressure rose within a minute in four yoga poses, including legs up the wall, and returned to its starting level within 2 minutes of sitting up again[7]. If you have glaucoma or another eye condition, check with your GP or optometrist before trying it.
5. Finish with slow breathing and a toes-up relaxation
Once you're in bed, try one or both of these techniques from healthdirect[8]:
- Slow breathing: breathe in slowly to a count of 3, then out to a count of 3, letting the out-breath run a little longer if that feels easy. healthdirect notes that slowing your breathing may help you feel calm and less tense.
- Toes-up muscle relaxation: starting at your toes, tense each part of your body in turn for about 3 seconds, then let go. Working up through your feet, calves and thighs makes it a natural last step for a leg routine.
Quick answers
How long should you do legs up the wall before bed?
We found no trial testing legs up the wall for comfort or sleep, so there's no research-based time. Start with a few minutes. Come down slowly, bending your knees and rolling onto your side; lower your legs sooner if your feet tingle or go numb. If you're pregnant or have an eye condition such as glaucoma, ask your GP first.
How should I stretch before bed?
Gently and briefly. The Sleep Health Foundation lists moderate exercise among the things to avoid in the hour before bed[1], so think a few slow stretches, not a workout. Hold each one for about 10 to 20 seconds without bouncing, and ease off if anything hurts[5]. If you're pregnant, injured or recovering from surgery, ask your GP or physio first.
Sources
9 sources
- Sleep Health Foundation. Sleep hygiene: good sleep habits. Published 12 January 2024. sleephealthfoundation.org.au (accessed 5 October 2026).
- healthdirect Australia. Sleep. Last reviewed November 2023. healthdirect.gov.au/sleep (accessed 5 October 2026).
- Adams RJ, Appleton SL, Taylor AW, et al. Sleep health of Australian adults in 2016: results of the 2016 Sleep Health Foundation national survey. Sleep Health. 2017;3(1):35–42. doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2016.11.005
- Haghayegh S, Khoshnevis S, Smolensky MH, Diller KR, Castriotta RJ. Before-bedtime passive body heating by warm shower or bath to improve sleep: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Medicine Reviews. 2019;46:124–135. doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2019.04.008
- Better Health Channel (Victorian Government). Exercise safety. Reviewed June 2015. betterhealth.vic.gov.au (accessed 5 October 2026).
- Wang WL, Chen KH, Pan YC, Yang SN, Chan YY. The effect of yoga on sleep quality and insomnia in women with sleep problems: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Psychiatry. 2020;20:195. doi.org/10.1186/s12888-020-02566-4
- Jasien JV, Jonas JB, de Moraes CG, Ritch R. Intraocular pressure rise in subjects with and without glaucoma during four common yoga positions. PLoS One. 2015;10(12):e0144505. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0144505
- healthdirect Australia. Relaxation techniques for stress relief. Last reviewed March 2026. healthdirect.gov.au/relaxation-techniques-for-stress-relief (accessed 5 October 2026).
- healthdirect Australia. Restless legs syndrome. Last reviewed June 2024. healthdirect.gov.au/restless-legs-syndrome (accessed 5 October 2026).