We all strive for better sleep but may find ourselves struggling due to stress, anxiety, and a hectic lifestyle. Good sleep hygiene and proper diet are key to making sure we get our sleep, yet sometimes this isn’t enough. Yoga can provide us with a holistic approach to improving our sleep and wellbeing.
Whether you’re struggling with insomnia or night disturbances or just want more restful sleep, integrating yoga into your lifestyle to improve your sleep is a great way to reset your sleep schedule. Yoga has been scientifically proven to alleviate our stress and anxiety levels, which are the main factors to poor sleep.
Yoga not only helps physical relaxation but also helps our mental state. We learn to acknowledge our thoughts and worries so they don’t stay in our head and create a hindrance to our sleep. Let’s explore further how yoga helps us to get better sleep.
The Benefits of Yoga for Better Sleep
Yoga has countless benefits on the body and mind. It works to reduce muscle and joint pain, improve posture, alleviate stress and promote emotional wellbeing. Physically, yogic poses and relaxation work to reduce tension in the physical body, calming the nervous system.
Yoga works to promote better breathing, helping us to relax into a good night’s sleep. This translates into improved respiration pacing and deeper sleep. Restorative yoga is also a great way to recharge our energy for the next day and practice relaxation techniques to help us go to sleep.
Working the Mind for Better Sleep
Mental and emotional stress has a direct effect on the sleepy cycle, with insomnia being exacerbated by excessive worrying or overthinking. Yoga helps relax the body by calming the mind. As we practice yoga, we learn to acknowledge our thoughts and worries, yet let them pass without dwelling on them. This is a great tool to practice before bed.
Yoga may also help lower cortisol levels. Cortisol is known as the “stress hormone”; when levels of it remain high for prolonged periods of time, our sleep cycle is hindered. With the help of yoga, we can lower the levels of cortisol in our body and ensure restful sleep.
Yoga gives us a set of mindful rituals that we can use before going to bed. Developing habits around our sleep can help us nurture better sleeping conditions. This can be a form of meditation, a breathing exercise or simply a set of stress-relieving poses.
Yoga-Based Techniques to Improve Sleep
- Restorative yoga poses
- Mindfulness meditation
- Breathing exercises
- Progressive relaxation-based exercises
- Progressively deepening body scan
Conclusion
From restorative poses to breathing exercises and relaxation-based activities, yoga can provide us with the holistic approach to better sleep we need. It can help improve our sleep quality while also relieving our physical and mental stress. So if you’re struggling to sleep at night, why not give yoga a try?