A Pilates instructor says you should do this five-move routine before bed for deep sleep

Exercising before bed might seem counterintuitive, and generally it's a good idea to avoid intense activity late in the evening.

But some gentle movement could actually relax your body and brain, and help you sleep better.

A recent study found that participants who did just three minutes of exercise every 30 minutes over a four-hour period in the evening slept for nearly 30 minutes longer, on average.

Gemma Folkard, a Pilates instructor and the founder of online platform Shape Pilates, agrees and recently posted on Instagram that better sleep is one of the biggest benefits of exercise she experiences.

I caught up with Folkard to find out more and she shared a gentle Pilates routine to end your day.

"A pre-bed Pilates session may include the moves you normally do in class, but the difference is how you do them and what your intent is," she says.

"Each exercise should be executed with the intention of being gentle with yourself and your nervous system, moving with ease, and allowing the mind to slowly wind down rather than moving to build muscle or sweat," says Folkard.

How to do Gemma Folkard's evening Pilates routine

1. Breathwork

Time: 5min

• Sit cross-legged or any way that is comfortable. Relax your eyes to soften your gaze, place your hands on the sides of your ribs and relax your shoulders.
• Inhale deeply, expanding the sides and back of your ribs so you move your hands out. When you exhale, think about softening the bones and muscles.
• Move through this for five minutes.

2. Spinal twist

Reps: 8 each side

• Sit cross-legged or any way that is comfortable.
• Place your hands behind your head, with your elbows in your peripheral vision.
• Rotate your upper body to the side, starting from the lower ribs and opening the mid back.
• At the furthest point of rotation, pulse back and forth twice, then repeat on the other side.
• Continue, alternating sides with each rep.

3. Shoulder bridge

Reps: 8

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet parallel on the floor and your arms by your sides.
• Inhale to prepare, and as you exhale lengthen your tailbone and peel your spine off the mat up to your shoulder blades.
• Inhale again, then exhale as you slowly roll your spine down.

4. The hundred

Reps: 100

"This might seem like an odd one to do before sleeping [it's a challenging Pilates move people love to hate], but often is useful to use up the last bits of nervous energy before totally relaxing," says Folkard.

• Lie on your back with your legs lifted, knees bent to 90° and lower legs parallel with the floor. Raise your arms so your hands are directly above your shoulders.
• Lift your head, neck and chest a couple of inches off the mat and lower your arms so your wrists are next to your hips with a slight bend in your elbows.
• Using small movements, lift and lower your arms above and below your hips, inhaling for five pulses and exhaling for five pulses.
• Repeat 10 times then release and relax your whole body onto the mat.

5. Cool down

• Lie on your back with your arms extended behind your head.
• Allow your heart rate to slow and let your breath return to a normal rhythm.