A MAN in his 40s has found he now needs to limber up with some gentle exercise before bed to avoid strains and injuries.
Joe Turner, from Durham, used to regard sleep as a rejuvenating experience that was unlikely to take a serious toll on his bones and muscles, but is now old.
Upon recently turning 44, he has come to learn that getting eight hours of rest is in fact a physically gruelling endurance challenge that requires careful preparation.
He said: “When I was younger, I had no idea that lying completely still on a soft mattress could leave a man in such agonising pain. I would wake up feeling refreshed and ready to seize the day. These days I wake up feeling like I just ran a f**king marathon.
“I realised that – if I wanted to get through life without crippling aches in my neck and back – I needed to treat occasionally moving about in my sleep like the exhausting, labour-intensive activity it is.
“Now, before putting my head down for the night, I do a few reps of star jumps or go for a light jog around the bedroom. Just enough to warm up the muscles before another night of punishing exertion.”
Turner’s new regime has significantly improved the quality of his mornings, but has not eradicated the endless suffering of middle age.
He added: “I’m old and knackered, so I still feel like shit when I wake up – but I don’t feel quite so much like I’ve been in a car crash, so that’s a plus.”
