Yoga for a better night’s sleep
Over the past year or so, I’ve been struggling with getting a good night’s sleep. Tossing and turning, waking up in the middle of the night, thoughts running through my head. Of course, this could be pandemic related as I, like a lot of people, seem to drift through the day wondering when it’s all going to end. Maybe it’s my diet?
In November I decided I had had enough, and I needed to make some changes. I want to wake up refreshed and not grouchy. I want to have enough energy to concentrate on my work, to prepare yoga classes and programs that are beneficial to my students, and to enjoy life.
It’s so important to me that this year, I chose “Sleep” as my word for 2022.
I talked with my doctor who noted that my blood work was fine, so I didn’t need to worry about a medical cause. Then I spoke with a dietician who helped me understand that my diet was good, but she did give me a few suggestions which I implemented. Then, at the beginning of January, I stumbled upon a program run by the Cleveland Clinic called Go! To Sleep.
The first thing I learned is that I have insomnia. I thought insomnia meant you couldn’t fall asleep and were up for hours, maybe dozed and then couldn’t fall back to sleep. Insomnia is defined as difficulty falling asleep, waking up frequently, and over all poor sleep. So, even though I could fall asleep easily, waking up frequently and feeling groggy or exhausted in the morning meant that I still fell into this definition.
In this program, you track your sleep habits daily. It’s really opened my eyes and given me simple strategies to implement. And my sleep is improving. The funny thing is though, back in November when I decided to make changes, I forgot about one area that I constantly talk to my students about: when you feel stressed, yoga can help you relax. When you feel relaxed, you sleep better. Now, how’s that for “practice what you preach”!
It’s in the Research - Yoga Can Help with Sleep
In this video Yoga Alliance’s Director of Yoga Research, Dr. Sat Bir Singh Khalsa talks about recent research on the effects of yoga and one’s ability to sleep better. He notes that one of the characteristics of insomnia is a high level of stress, and yoga is very good at deactivating stress and promoting calm and peace. In a recent Harvard Health article, it is reported that over 55% of yoga practitioners reported improved sleep and over 85% said yoga helped reduce stress.
What Yoga Poses Are Good for Sleep?
All aspects of yoga can help calm the body and mind – physical poses, breathing techniques, meditation, deep relaxation – thus promoting better sleep. You may want to consider what time of day you practice yoga and where you practice. For the best sleep, it is recommended that you don’t practice in bed (keep the bed for sleep and intimacy) but instead find another quiet space.
You may want to try a physical practice 3 or 4 hours before bedtime, but a restorative class, breathing technique or meditation could be done closer to bedtime.
Click on the picture to access the audio or video and practice your way to a restful night’s sleep!
