# How to QUICKLY Stop Insomnia (Fall Asleep in Minutes!)

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aStUc0Ge9eo
Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/aStUc0Ge9eo
Generated: 2026-01-15T15:31:53.152+00:00

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## Quick Overview

Dr. Michael Rowe presents three simple, in-bed and floor-based exercises—Belly Breathing, Child's Pose variation, and Legs Up the Wall variation—designed to quickly relieve insomnia by relaxing the body, reducing anxiety, and signaling the brain to rest, which can help users fall asleep within minutes.

**Key Points:**
- The video introduces three exercises to quickly combat insomnia by promoting body relaxation and stress relief: Belly Breathing, a modified Child's Pose, and Legs Up the Wall.
- Belly Breathing involves lying flat with one hand on the chest and one over the belly, inhaling deeply through the nose, holding for 1-2 seconds, and exhaling slowly through the mouth, focusing on keeping the chest hand still.
- The modified Child's Pose involves kneeling with a pillow wedged behind the knees/hips for support, tucking the chin, and rocking the body backward towards the heels while breathing deeply for 30 seconds.
- The third exercise, Legs Up the Wall, requires lying flat with legs straight up against a wall (butt as close as possible) and focusing on slow, diaphragmatic belly breathing for 3 to 5 minutes.
- The practitioner suggests that back and hip pain often keeps people awake, and these relaxation techniques target those areas, including the glutes, to help signal the brain it is time to rest.
- The figure-four stretch (lying on back, ankle over opposite knee) is also demonstrated as a hip stretch to perform for 20-30 seconds on the painful side, breathing deeply through the nose and exhaling through the mouth.
- The presenter recommends trying both the hip stretch and the prone pillow pose to see which technique offers the most relief for individual issues.

![Screenshot at 00:05: The SpineCare Decompression and Chiropractic Center logo appears, introducing the medical professional presenting the sleep relief techniques.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/aStUc0Ge9eo/00-00-05.jpg)

**Context:** Dr. Michael Rowe from SpineCare in St. Joseph, Michigan, presents a guide detailing specific, gentle exercises that can be performed in bed or on the floor to quickly alleviate insomnia caused by stress, anxiety, or physical discomfort like joint and muscle pain in the lower back and hips.

## Detailed Analysis

Dr. Michael Rowe demonstrates four exercises intended to relieve insomnia, stress, and physical pain (specifically lower back/hip pain) that often prevents sleep. The first exercise is Belly Breathing, performed lying on the back with knees bent and feet flat; the user breathes deeply in through the nose, ensuring only the hand over the belly moves, and exhales slowly through the mouth, holding for 1-2 seconds before exhaling. This is repeated for 20-30 seconds. The second exercise is a modified Child's Pose, done on hands and knees with a pillow wedged behind the knees/hips for support; the user tucks their chin and rocks their body backward toward their heels while focusing on deep, controlled breathing for 30 seconds, repeating 3-5 times. The third technique is Legs Up the Wall, where the user lies flat with legs straight up against the wall, focusing on slow belly breathing for 3-5 minutes until relaxed enough to fall asleep. A fourth stretch, the Figure-Four stretch (cross ankle over opposite knee), is shown to target the hips and glutes, holding for 20-30 seconds while continuing belly breathing, and is suggested to be done on both sides. Dr. Rowe concludes by advising viewers to try both the hip stretch and the prone pillow pose to determine which offers the most relief for their specific issues.

### Exercise 1

- Belly Breathing Setup
- Lie on back with knees bent, feet flat, hips hip-width apart
- Place one hand on chest, one over the belly
- Inhale deeply through the nose, hold 1-2 seconds, exhale slowly through the mouth, keeping chest hand still
- Repeat for 20-30 seconds

### Exercise 2

- Modified Child's Pose
- Start on all fours with a pillow wedged behind the knees/hips
- Tuck chin toward chest and rock the body backward toward heels
- Focus on deep, controlled breathing throughout the stretch for 30 seconds
- Repeat 3-5 times, tilting upper body slightly right and left to target different areas

### Exercise 3

- Legs Up the Wall
- Lie flat on the back with legs straight up against a wall, butt as close to the wall as possible
- Close eyes and focus on slow, deep belly breathing for 3-5 minutes
- The goal is to relax the body enough to fall asleep in this position

### Exercise 4

- Figure-Four Stretch
- Lie on back with knees bent, ankle of one leg crossed over the opposite knee
- Gently press the bent knee away from the body to stretch the hip/glute
- Hold for 20-30 seconds on each side while maintaining deep belly breathing

### Conclusion and Recommendation | The practitioner suggests trying both the hip stretch and the prone pillow pose to find which offers the most relief for pain/tension keeping the person awake


![Screenshot at 00:04: Introduction of SpineCare logo and the video's goal to fix insomnia.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/aStUc0Ge9eo/00-00-04.jpg)
![Screenshot at 00:36: Demonstration of the starting position for the first exercise, Belly Breathing, lying supine with knees bent.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/aStUc0Ge9eo/00-00-36.jpg)
![Screenshot at 02:08: Demonstration of the modified Child's Pose, showing the pillow wedged behind the knees for support.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/aStUc0Ge9eo/00-02-08.jpg)
![Screenshot at 03:53: Demonstration of the Progressive Muscle Relaxation technique, lying supine with a pillow under the knees.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/aStUc0Ge9eo/00-03-53.jpg)
![Screenshot at 05:33: Demonstration of the final technique, Legs Up the Wall, positioned in a corner.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/aStUc0Ge9eo/00-05-33.jpg)