The term yoga means to join. It’s the realization of the oneness between individual and omnipresent divine consciousness. The path to the brain is also known as Yoga. This path involves practising techniques that bring our consciousness back to its original nature. The practice of Yoga helps to resolve the disturbed state of mind and that’s why people learn specific Yogasanas to get good sleep. Yoga for better sleep can also help increase brings focus and attention. Several yogic practices can help to bring balance to your being in the mind, body, and spirit.
If you have disturbed sleep, the practice of certain Yogasanas and techniques like yoga nidra can help you get an enhanced quality of sleep. A better sleep means you also have a more conscious waking state. The practice of Yoga allows us to see a clear picture of things and situations around us. Thus, it helps us in getting solutions to blocks in work or problems at home, office or other places you deal with. When practiced well, Yoga also brings higher level of acceptance into our minds of the present situation. A good night’s sleep can be a byproduct of regular yogic practice.
Types of Yoga in Present-Day Context
Yoga involves varied practices such as yogasana, breath control, and meditation. Patanjali Yoga Sutra is the original and initial form of Yoga. Sage Patanjali states- “Atha Yoga Anushasanam”. This means, “Now, bring your mind into the discipline of Yoga.”
Bringing the mind into the discipline of our True Nature will get the best outcomes for a healthy and fulfilling life. The yogic practice is ancient and at least about 3,000 years old. In these years, many schools of Yoga have evolved. Some of the most popular ones include
- Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga
- Bihar School of Yoga – Swami Satyananda Saraswati
- Sivananda Yoga – Swami Vishnu-devananda
- Iyengar Yoga – B.K.S. Iyengar
- Yin Yoga – Paulie Zink.
All have variations in various postures, breathing techniques, and meditation practices.
Various Ways Yoga Benefits You
Yoga has various positive impacts on our wellness. They include an improved:
- Mental health
- Emotional health
- Lowered stress
- Relieving certain kinds of pains
- Weight loss
- and Improved Sleep.
Let’s see how Yoga can help us get better sleep.
How Is Yoga Helpful for Sleep?
A report indicates that 55% of yoga practitioners had improved sleep. Not only, but more than 85% of yoga practitioners also said they experienced lower stress levels. Several studies indicate that yogic practices of different kinds can improve the sleep quality of various types of populations.
The focus of the studies is sleep quality rather than sleep duration. Longer sleep duration does not necessarily correlate with overall well-being. Sleepers rate the quality of sleep in various ways, mainly in the way they feel energized at the start of the day and uninterrupted sleep.
Yoga for Good Sleep: Who Can Benefit?
Yoga brings benefits and better sleep for people of age ranges, right from young kids to the elderly. Yoga is responsible for various sleep and health and wellness benefits.
For instance, yoga practices can lower stress levels in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The lowered stress for children helps improve their sleep and mental health.
Adult women find it more difficult than adult men to sleep. However, many studies show that Yoga benefits various subpopulations of women to get better sleep. For example, for women with menopause, practicing Yoga has improved sleep. There were similar results for pregnant women who took to Prenatal Yoga. Preliminary research also demonstrates that the elderly population who practice regular yoga experience an improved quality of life.
How Frequently Do I Practise Yoga for Better Sleep?
The best way to practice Yoga is to do it regularly. And there’s no doubt that long-term yoga practitioners experience better sleep. However, reports indicate that even if you don’t do Yoga regularly, occasional practice will help to improve sleep quality more than no practice.
The best idea is to get guidance from yoga experts and have a regular schedule to ensure that Yoga is the right tool for your sleep. Go for regular classes every week or do practice at a fixed time of the day for home practice.
How Yoga Helps You Get Better Sleep?
Various forms of Yoga can improve sleep quality.
- Mindfulness: Mindfulness involves raising awareness to be free of judgment. Mindfulness is essential for various types of Yoga. Study reveals mindfulness can improve melatonin levels for better sleep in adults.
- Breathing Regulation: Deep breathing is a vital relaxation technique practiced in Yoga. The mind is directly related to our breath (its rate and quality). Deep breathing helps to induce sleep.
- Regular Exercise: Healthy sleep is directly associated with some amount of frequent movement. That’s why you need to have moderate exercise many times a week.
- Weight Loss: Weight loss can help individuals who are overweight get better sleep. Weight loss also helps in lowering sleep apnea. Regular yoga practitioners tend to get a balanced body weight.
Regular yoga practice also helps with many sleep disorders.
How Does Yoga Help Counter Insomnia?
Insomnia occurs if you cannot fall asleep or stay asleep. Insomnia may result in various long-term impacts, such as
- Daytime sleepiness and impairment
- Memory loss
- and mood changes.
Studies demonstrated that Yoga helps resolve the harmful impact of sleep disorders such as insomnia.
How Yoga Helps Counter Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS)
Restless leg syndrome (RLS), as the name indicates, involves a compulsive, pleasant and painful movement of the legs during nighttime. Women experience more problems due to restless leg syndrome. A study revealed that eight weeks of Yoga significantly improved RLS symptoms. Sleep, stress, and overall mood get greatly enhanced. More studies show that Yoga is a positive tool for improving a patient’s sleep.
Yoga Practices That Help You Sleep
Several types of Yoga provide other health and wellness benefits. Different kinds of yoga practices can bring benefits during the day. But, it works as long as the practitioner can do it comfortably. In the modern context, many types of yoga practices are prevalent, including vinyasa or hot Yoga.
This requires moderate to high levels of exercise. One can practice Yoga several hours before bedtime so that one can sleep better at night time. High-activity Yoga increases the heart rate. Therefore, it’s most valuable to avoid high-activity Yoga before bedtime. Moreover, it makes sense to practice restorative Yoga right before bedtime to do Yoga for better sleep.
Go for gentle body postures and breathing techniques that help lengthen the inhalation and exhalation and a moderate holding of breath.
Yoga Nidra is another helpful practice where your mind and body relaxes and as consciousness it focuses on body parts, breath, and visualization . Furthermore, you can learn more out about bedtime poses for better sleep.