How Through Rest Can We Improve Overall Health of the Body
As crucial as nutrition and exercise, sleep is a foundational building block of health. It is vital to cognitive function, emotional well-being and physical health. Good sleep aids in memory, problem-solving skills and creativity. Additionally, sleep maintains immune function, metabolic control and reduces the risk of chronic conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. If you want to learn more about why we sleep and why it matters, I highly recommend reading this in-depth guide on how much sleep is enough for optimal health.
Effects of Common Sleep Disorders
And yet, it seems like a lot of people have issues getting good sleep. Among the disorders frequently disrupting both sleep quality and duration are insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA),3 restless leg syndrome-.visitMethodInsn Continued loss of sleep can have lasting effects on the health such as hypertension, obesity, depression and a weakened immune response. It worsens your cognitive function: Use hinders concentration, decision making and reaction times. Read more about these common sleep problems and their consequences from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
Yoga As A Natural Solution For Sound Sleep Intro
Yoga, with its roots in ancient practice of physical postures combined with controlled breathing and meditation techniques, is a natural remedy for improving sleep. As yoga helps to promote relaxation and decrease stress, it can help regulate our sleep-wake cycle thus improving the quality of your overall sleep. Certain yoga poses, such as Child and Legs Up the Wall, are especially beneficial for getting your body ready to sleep. If you are looking for improved sleep, practicing yoga before bed can be a game-changer. Read more in Yoga Journal about how yoga can improve sleep or try this yoga practice for better sleep here.
Yoga and Sleep: A Scientific Explanation
Above, I explained the mind-body connection.
An example of this theory is the mind-body connection, which suggests that our state of belief and emotions can affect our physical health directly. Yoga…in part this connection is the defining factor of many holistic practices. Yoga nurtures this relationship with flowing postures, controlled breathing and meditation that contribute to create a space of profound relaxation and mental focus. This whole-person approach has the wonderful side effect of reducing stress, which is all too common a barrier to good sleep. Read mind-body practices to learn more about the body-mind connection.
Limited English (How Yoga and the Nervous System)
YOGA has a significant effect on autonomic nervous system that is responsible for controlling various organs of the body like heart, digestive and respiratory function. More specifically, yoga gets your parasympathetic nervous system or the “rest and digest” one pumping. It activates to slow the heart rate, drop blood pressure and promote relaxation & recovery (34) Practicing techniques like Pranayama and Meditation can deepen this effect, thereby helping you get into your restful state easily. Scientific Review: How Does Yoga Affect The Nervous System.
Research on Yoga for Sleep
A number of studies report on the effectiveness of yoga practice for increasing sleep quantity and quality. Yoga has been shown to decrease symptoms of sleep disorders including insomnia. In published research from the Journal of Clinical Psychology, eight weeks of yoga improved sleep efficiency and duration. Another research published in the Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine revealed that yoga along with meditation can increase melatonin levels, a hormone responsible for regulating sleep. These results highlight how yoga may be a helpful method to promote sleep. To learn more about these studies, visit the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.
Yoga Poses for Better Sleep
Child’s Pose (Balasana)
Benefits: Child’s Pose is a soothing resting post that quiets the mind, reduces stress and fatigue. This releases the hip flexor, and also has a calming effect on legs.
How to Perform:
Begin in a tabletop position on your hands and knees.
Your big toes touch, and your knees spread apart.
Recline on your heels and stretch out with arms extended, forehead touching the mat
Inhale deeply and remain static in the position for 1-3 minutes.
For a more detailed explanation, check out this Child`s Pose guide.
Viparita Karani (Legs Up the Wall)
POINTSSupports: Legs Up the Wall 2 is a Restorative pose that helps to eliminate leg swelling, kind of cramps and general fatigue from running around doing all those things you do everyday. Especially good for loosening up low back tension.
How to Perform:
One Leg Wall Sit
Lay on your back, extend both arms out to the sides and legs up against a wall palms facing upwards.
Move as close to the wall as you can, positioning your hips just below (or touching) the wall.
Relax and maintain the position for 5-15 minutes.
Learn more with our Legs Up the Wall tutorial.
Cat-Cow Pose (Marjaryasana/Bitilasana)
Benefits: Cat-Cow Pose helps to gently wake up and stretch the spine, increase flexibility in front- & back-line of body; relieves tension through thoracic mobility as well. In addition, this practice helps harmonise the breath with movement and cultivates awareness and relaxation.
How to Perform:
Begin in tabletop position with your wrists under the shoulders, knees beneath hips.
Arch your back, lifting the spine (Cow Pose) as you inhale.
As you round your spine towards the ceiling, tuck your chin to chest (Cat Pose) and exhale.
Flow back and forth between these two poses for 1-2 minutes.
Modified Cat-Cow PoseCoordinates with this visual guide
Supine Twist (Supta Matsyendrasana
How to Perform: Supine Spinal Twist stretches back muscles, gives the spine correct alignment and it helps in digestion. Stretches the lower back and relaxes
How to Perform:
Lying on your back with knees bent and feet flat
Spread your arms out to the sides in a T
With your shoulders on the floor, let both knees fall to one side.
Stay for 1-3 minutes and repeat on the other side.
Read more about this asana here at Supine Spinal Twist.
Corpse Pose (Savasana)
Corpse PoseBenefits: Corpse pose is the king of relaxation poses, it calms both mind and body. It lowers stress, hypertension and gives a feeling of ultimate peace.
How to Perform:
Lay flat on your back with legs separated slightly apart and arms directly at sides with palms facing up.
Step 1) Close your eyes and breathe deeply
Relax and let your body settle into the mat.
Hold the pose for 5-10 minutes with attention to your breath.
Breathing strategies and meditation for sleep.
Introduction to Pranayama (Breathing Techniques)
One of the foundational elements in yoga is Pranayama, which refers to breath control and involves a range of techniques designed to help regulate your breathing. Pranayama: It is a breathing technique that helps in calming the mind and reducing stress, which slowly heals your body for sleep. Practicing controlled breathing can stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, leading to relaxation and easier sleep onset as well as improved quality of rest. You can learn the principles and benefits of pranayama in more detail by reading this ultimate guide on Pranyama.
Skills: Nadi Shodhana; 4-7-8 breathing
Nadi Shodhana (Alternate Nostril Breathing): Nadi Shondha is a balancing breath technique that helps to soothe the mind, balance both hemispheres of the brain and calm down your nervous system. This involves the breath used in alternating your nostrils which can help lower stress and increase focus.
How to Perform:
Sit with your spine long and shoulders relaxed.
Stating this, close your right nostril with the thumb of your right.
Take a deep breath in through your nose using only the left nostril.
Then close your left nostril by pressing the right ring finger against it, and release your right nasal passage.
Breath out via your right nostril.
Exhale through left nostril Close your right nostril, then inhale and exhale only from the alternate (left)nostril.
Carry this pattern for 5-10 minutes.
Nadi Shodhana Instructions
4-7-8 Breathing: The 4-7-8 breathing technique is a simple but powerful method to help with stress and anixiety relief as well helping you fall asleep faster.
How to Perform:
Either sit down or lay in a comfortable location
Shut your eyes and completely release every ounce of air out from between pursed lips.
Breathe through your nostril silently for about 4 seconds.
Now hold breath for 2…..3……4…….5…6…………7
Breathe out slowly through your mouth for a count of 8.
Repeat the cycle 4 times.
Find out what this method is and how you can do it yourself in our complete – the 4-7-8 breathing guide.
Meditation and Mindfulness Practices
Meditation: Meditation and mindfulness practices are great ways to relax the body or simple activities that you can perform just before bedtime. The practices prevent worrying and thinking; Moving the idea to enter a relaxed state before going to bed.
Reason 3: Guided Meditation – With guided meditation you listen to a narrator that is literally guiding you through either relaxing visualization exercises or mindfulness. It can slow down the racing of thoughts, inducing a state of calm. There are numerous apps and online platforms where you can find tailored meditations for sleep, like the ones that Calm or Headspace offer.
Common Mindfulness Practices: Yoga-style mindfulness -demonstrating paying attention to the present moment without judgment. This can involve stuff as simple and non-mystical as breathing exercises, mindful attention to thoughts and sensations or body scan meditation. Mindfulness – Incorporating mindfulness into your bedtime routine can help you prepare for bed in a peaceful, calm manner.
Get a Good Night’s Sleep with Bedtime Yoga
Ways to Start a Regular Pre Bedtime Yoga Routine
Stay on a regular schedule: Select an hour nightly to complete yoga, and make sure it is the same time every day. Routine helps your body recognise it is time to switch off.
Commence with Small Bursts: Kick off your yoga exercise just where you are comfortable in the 1st month, ten minutes to quarter of an hour at most.
Set the Mood: Turn off as many lights as possible, play calming background music, and keep your area quiet. The calming effect of yoga is increased greatly when practiced in a peaceful setting.
Stick to gentle poses: Choose restorative and relaxing asanas, not energizing or demanding ones.
Add Breathing And Meditation: Practice some breathing (Pranayama) exercises and at the end meditation for 10 minutes, to keep mind relaxed which in turn help you get better sleep spread your night evenly?
Your Body Talks: If you feel your body saying something (generally on the edge) DO take note of that and modify them/thedose. Do not overexert at the end of a day.
20-Minute Bedtime Yoga Sequence (sample)
Active: Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana)
Extend your legs in front of you.
Take a deep breath and stretch your spine, on exhale go forward reaching for your toes
Breathe deeply and hold for 2-3 minutes.
Twist Seated (Ardha Matsyendrasana):
Sit with your legs extended. Bend your right knee and keep placing the right foot outside of left thigh.
On an exhale, twist to the right and bring your left elbow outside of your right knee.
Repeat this for 1-2 minutes on both sides
Child’s Pose (Balasana):
Begin by sitting on the floor, knees wide apart and big toes touching.
Sitting back on your heels stretch arms forward and rest forehead down to the Mat
Do this for 3-5 minutes while breathing in deeply.
Cat-Cow: This pose is a great way to increase the flexibility in your spine and improve coordination between breath & movement.
Begin in a tabletop pose with your wrists under your shoulders and knees beneath the hips.
Breathe in, round your spine exhale. Cow Pose/Cat pose
Continue for 2-3 minutes.
Legs Up the Wall (Viparita Karani)
Lean your back sideways against the wall and rest as you lift legs up away from the floor.
Extend your arms out to the sides and release.
Hold for 5-10 minutes, sink into your breathe.
Corpse Pose (Savasana):
Lie on your back with arms by sides and palms facing forward.
Close your eyes and take slow deep breaths.
Hold for 5 to10 minutes and help your body relax completely.
A Soothing Ambiance is a Necessity
One of the key components for getting the most anecdotal benefit from your bedtime yoga practice is to create a soothing environment. In the long run, people who practiced yoga in a peaceful and restful environment were capable of telling their body that it was time to relax. In addition to soft lighting, relaxing music can be played in the background and students could use yoga mats for their comfort. This transition provides the body and mind enough time to switch off from stimulating activities and focus on relaxation, slotting into sleep a lot easier. Create a restful environment for your sleepy yoga practice.
11 Tips to Improve Your Sleep Lifestyle
Adding Yoga to Other Good Sleep Habits
The routine of building a new healthy habit can improve the overall quality (and length) of sleep. Laurel: Definitely practice yoga often, but aside from that incorporate these other habits in your every day life.
Instead, try to eat a well-rounded diet with lots of fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains and lean proteins as that can help you sleep better. A heavy meal and caffeine just before bed is not a good idea
Exercise: Consistent exercise can lead to a healthier sleep schedule. Try to get moving for at least 30 minutes most days, in the form of moderate exercise or even higher-intensity workouts (just not a few hours before bedtime).
Drink 90 – 10 Water and Reduce your intake at night again so not to wake you throughout the night.
Yoga is one alternative practice which can help you sleep more soundly and by following these healthy lifestyle tips alongside implementing yoga into your routines, this will see a holistic approach to aiding in better overall sleep.
Why Following a Sleep Schedule is So Crucial
With proper sleep hygiene, one can ensure his quality of sleep to be good. Having a regular sleep schedule will stabilize your internal clock and make of falling asleep and waking up without the need for an alarm (with some exceptions like, illness or disturbances in our daily routine). And this consistency will in turn not only improve your sleep, but stop you from waking up more tired then when you went to bed. Even on weekends, keep the same time for going to bed in order not to disturb your circadian rhythm.
Cutting Screen Time & Building a Soothing Bedtime Routine
Decrease Screen Time Before Bed To Get Better Sleep Phones, tablets and computers all give out blue light that stops the body making melatonin – which regulates sleep. Here are some tips to mitigate this impact:
Screen Curfew: Try to put away all screens an hour before bedtime.
Night Mode: Most devices also have a night mode, which can cut down on the blue light that you’re exposed to turn on at night
Do Calming Activities: Instead of using a screen to relax, do calming activities such as reading books, listinig soulfull Music, bathing with warm water or gentle yoga.
Establishing a bedtime ritual that helps you wind down can also improve your ability to fall asleep fast and sleep more deeply. Include relaxation activities that alert your body to prepare for sleeping. This could include:
Yoga or Gentle Stretching: Add some easy going yoga to relax your muscle and mind.
They also recommend that you do two sets: a deep breath or meditation to de-stress your mind.
Create proper sleeping environment: Make sure the bedroom is cool, dark and quiet. If necessary use black out curtains, earplugs or a white noise machine