By Dr. Matsen/Irene Hayton

Some of the common complaints that I hear from my patients include:

  • trouble sleeping (falling and/or staying asleep)
  • digestive problems (heartburn, gas, bloating, etc) particularly later in the day
  • feeling tired and/or sore when they wake up in the morning, even though they’ve had enough sleep.

In all of these situations, I often recommend that they do some abdominal crunches one hour and two hours after their evening meal.

Digestion slows down as the day wears on and shuts off when you go to sleep at night. If you don’t fully digest your evening meal before you go to bed, it may sit and “rot” in your digestive tract, putting a strain on your liver. I’ve found that doing crunches helps to get the digestive system working more efficiently by pumping the liver and other digestive organs, thereby allowing you to sleep more deeply. It’s during deep sleep that the most healing takes place.

For those who can’t lie down on the floor to do traditional crunches, you can get similar results by sitting upright in a chair and lifting your legs up one at a time, drawing your knee towards your chest as much as comfortably possible. Alternate legs and continue doing as many as you can. This exercise can also be used by those who spend a lot of time sitting during the day (for example, at a desk job) one hour and two hours after lunch to improve digestion and provide a mid-afternoon pick-me-up.

To do a traditional abdominal crunch:

  • Lay flat on your back on a carpeted floor or mat. Bend your knees and keep your feet on the floor. Place your hands at your sides, gently behind your head or across your chest, wherever they feel most comfortable.
  • Pull your belly button towards your spine and flatten your lower back against the floor.
  • Contract your abdominal muscles (abs), lifting your shoulder blades one or two inches off the floor. As you lift up, exhale and raise your chest and head towards the ceiling, keeping your neck straight and your chin up so that your head and neck are in line with your spine. This is a small movement—do not lift up into a sit-up, which works the hip flexors and can strain your back.
  • Hold at the top of the movement for a second or so, squeezing your abs hard.
  • With control, slowly lower back down and stop just before your shoulders touch the floor. Inhale on the way down.
  • Repeat, doing as many repetitions as you can with good form.

Tips:

  • Make sure you’re using your abs rather than using momentum. Remember that this is a slow, controlled movement.
  • Your lower back should remain flat against the floor throughout the movement.
  • Do not hold your breath—breathe out on the way up and breathe in on the way down.
  • Do not pull from your arms or yank on the back of your head if placing your hands behind your head. Rest your fingertips on the side of your head instead.
  • Do not let your chin touch your chest; your head and spine should remain aligned. If necessary, put your fist under your chin to keep your head still.
  • Do not anchor your feet by wedging them under something or having someone hold them down or you’ll be using hip flexor muscles more than abs.
  • If your abs are weak and this is a difficult movement for you to do, start by simply rolling your upper torso forward and work your way into using your abs more.