Over 65? Geriatricians share the one stretching move to do before getting out of bed

The alarm goes, or the first bit of light squeezes round the curtain, and instinct kicks in: sit up, swing your legs out, get moving. Except your back feels like it belongs to someone else, your hips argue, and that first step to the loo can feel like walking on glass.

This is exactly the moment many geriatricians wish they could slow down for you. Not with a full workout, not with fancy equipment-just with one quiet move before you ever leave the mattress.

They call it different things-“the morning glide”, “bed roll stretch”, “log roll sequence”-but the idea is the same: give your spine, hips and circulation ninety seconds of preparation before you ask them to hold you up.

Why one slow stretch can change your whole morning

In your sixties and beyond, the tissues that once bounced back in a blink need a bit more notice. Overnight, joints stiffen, blood pressure settles lower, and the fluid that cushions your spine redistributes. When you shoot from lying to standing, your body reads it as a small shock.

That’s why so many people over 65 report the same pattern: dizzy when they stand, “seizing” lower backs, and a first dozen steps that feel wobbly. Your body isn’t failing you; it’s just being rushed. Those first thirty to ninety seconds in bed are where a lot of falls, sprains and morning misery quietly begin.

Geriatricians see it on the wards all the time. The patients who pause, stretch and roll to the side before they rise tend to wobble less and wince less by the time they reach the bathroom. The ones who leap, or try to, are more likely to grab for furniture, flare an old back injury, or need an afternoon nap because they “never quite recovered” from the morning.

Think of this move as a conversation with your nervous system. You’re telling it, “We’re about to stand up, but nothing here is an emergency.” Muscles warm, joints lubricate, blood pressure edges up more gently. That tiny change of tempo often matters more than another cushion, another supplement, or another pain cream.

The one move: the “Bed Roll and Reach” stretch

The stretch most experts come back to is simple and friendly to most bodies: a gentle lying twist with an overhead reach, done before you sit up. It wakes your spine, hips and shoulders together without yanking on any one part.

Here is the version geriatricians commonly teach, broken into clear steps.

Step-by-step in under two minutes

1. Start on your back

   • Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the mattress, about hip-width apart.
   • Let your shoulders soften into the bed and notice where you feel stiff or tight.

2. Roll your knees side to side

   • Slowly let both knees drop together a few inches to the right while your head gently turns to the left.
   • Pause for one comfortable breath, feeling the stretch across your waist, hip and lower back.
   • Bring your knees back to the middle, then let them drift to the left as your head turns to the right.
   • Repeat this “windscreen wiper” roll 4–6 times, easy and smooth, only as far as feels safe.

3. Add the overhead reach

   • Bring your knees back to centre. Raise your right arm slowly so your hand points towards the headboard or wall behind you.
   • At the same time, slide your left heel a little further down the bed, as if you were trying to make that leg longer.
   • Reach gently through your fingertips and heel, then soften. Hold for 2–3 slow breaths.
   • Swap sides: left arm reaches up, right heel lengthens down. Again, 2–3 slow breaths.

4. Combine roll and reach (optional)

   • If it feels comfortable, let your knees roll to the right while the left arm reaches overhead, then swap.
   • Keep the movement small and slow-this is a glide, not a twist-and-shout.

5. Finish with a side roll to sit up

   • When you’re ready to get up, roll fully onto your side facing the edge of the bed.
   • Slide your legs together over the side of the bed while you push the mattress away with your hands, using your arms to help you up.
   • Sit for 10–20 seconds, take two normal breaths, then stand.

That’s it. No counting to ten, no forcing your body into shapes it hasn’t seen since primary school. Just a slow roll, a reach, and a side-ways rise instead of jack-in-the-box.

What this stretch quietly protects

On paper, it looks almost too small to matter. In real life, it shifts several big risks at once.

First, it gently moves the small joints between each spinal bone. Those joints are sticky in the morning, and sudden bending can irritate them, especially in people with arthritis or previous disc problems. Warming them with a twist and reach helps your back remember how to move as a single team rather than one sore spot doing all the work.

Second, it wakes up your hip and core muscles before you ask them to balance you. When they fire even a little more reliably, you are less likely to shuffle, grab furniture, or trip on that dressing gown belt on the floor.

Third, it buys your circulation a moment. As you roll and breathe, your heart and blood vessels adjust gradually from “night mode” to “standing mode”. That’s particularly important if you take blood pressure tablets, diabetes medication, or water tablets, all of which can make that first stand feel like the world just tilted.

Geriatricians often share stories like Margaret, 78, who used to say her back “went” once a month just walking to the bathroom. After learning the Bed Roll and Reach and the side roll to sit up, her flare-ups dropped to once a year. The arthritis in her spine didn’t vanish. The way she asked it to move did.

How to make it a habit you actually keep

Knowing the move is one thing; remembering it in the half-asleep blur is another. Behaviour changes that stick at 65 and beyond tend to be tiny, obvious and forgiving.

A few tricks help:

• Pair it with something you already do
  Decide that before you reach for your glasses or phone, you do your roll and reach. Same order, every day.

• Use the environment as a nudge
  Keep a small note or a bright bookmark on your bedside table: “Roll, reach, then rise.” After a week or two, your body often beats the note to it.

• Keep it short on purpose
  Aim for one minute, not ten. You can always add a second or third round on stiff days, but you never “fail” if you only do one.

• Make it comfortable, not heroic
  You’re not trying to force flexibility. Any movement within a pain-free, or at least pain-tolerable, range counts. The win is showing up, not touching your toes.

Let’s be honest: nobody will remember every single morning. Life gets in the way, grandkids jump on the bed, the phone rings. The power of this habit lies in how often you come back to it, not how perfectly you perform it.

Who should tweak or skip this move

Most people over 65 can do a version of the Bed Roll and Reach safely, but there are exceptions. This is where a quick chat with your GP, physiotherapist or practice nurse is worth its weight in gold.

You’ll want personalised advice if you:

• have had a recent hip, back or abdominal operation
• have a history of spinal fractures or severe osteoporosis
• are prone to very sudden drops in blood pressure on standing
• live with advanced Parkinson’s, severe vertigo, or frequent unexplained falls

Often, the solution isn’t to skip movement entirely, but to shrink the move-smaller rolls, shorter reaches, or a nurse/physio-guided version done with rails or supports. Your professional team would always rather adjust a good idea than see you give up on moving.

If lying on your back is agony, you can start with the side-lying version only: curled a little on your side, gently reaching the top arm overhead and uncurling the top leg, then reversing. The principle-move before you rise-stays the same.

What changes when you never again “launch” out of bed

People who adopt this one move rarely talk about it like exercise. They talk about it like brushing their teeth: something small that makes the start of the day feel more civilised.

The first few mornings, the change is often modest. You feel slightly less stiff, slightly less startled by gravity. Then, over weeks, other things start to shift. You catch yourself standing a bit straighter at the sink. The Sunday walk feels easier to start. You have more “good back days” clustered together.

Most of all, your relationship with your own body softens. Instead of seeing it as an unreliable machine that might fail each time you stand, you begin to treat it as a partner you prepare and negotiate with. That attitude doesn’t erase arthritis or banish ageing. It does make the everyday moments-getting up, getting dressed, getting on with things-less like battles and more like a series of small, manageable moves.

Quick recap

Key point	What it is	Why it matters
Bed Roll and Reach	A gentle twist-and-reach stretch done lying down	Warms spine, hips and shoulders before standing
Side roll to sit	Rolling to your side, then pushing up with your arms	Reduces strain on your back and dizziness on standing
Short and daily	60–90 seconds most mornings	Lowers stiffness and wobbliness without feeling like a workout

FAQ:

• Do I really need to do this every single morning? No. Aim for “most days”. Even three or four mornings a week can make a noticeable difference over time. Consistency beats perfection.
  
• Should this stretch hurt? You might feel mild stiffness or a gentle pull, but sharp, shooting or worsening pain is a signal to stop and seek professional advice. You should be able to breathe and talk while you do it.
  
• Can I do it again later in the day? Yes. A shorter version before an afternoon nap or after sitting in a chair for a long time can help too. The body loves repeated, gentle reminders.
  
• What if I already have a morning exercise routine? Keep it. Just add this move before you get out of bed. It sets you up so your other exercises feel safer and smoother.
  
• Is this enough as my only exercise? It’s a brilliant start, especially if you’ve been doing very little. Over time, most geriatricians would also like to see you add walking, balance practice and simple strength work-but one good habit is how you begin.