Nothing like a good night’s sleep, right? After a long day that consists of striking multiple things off your to-do list, your mind and body is craving some downtime, rest and relaxation. Yoga, a gentle mind-body practice is the perfect way to slow down, let go of external stressors and get ready for a restful sleep. What’s more is that regular yoga practice is beneficial for various sleep disorders, from insomnia to sleep apnea and even restless leg syndrome. Let’s explore how yoga for sleep apnea and yoga for insomnia, among others, are helpful.
What are the benefits of yoga for sleep disorders
Improves mindfulness
When you join the best yoga classes online regularly, your mindfulness and presence of mind improves. With better mindfulness, you will be able to drop all external stressors and fall asleep easily. This is especially useful for yoga for insomnia as it allows you to divert your mind, become aware of your body, thoughts and emotions and induce a relaxed, positive state of being.
Reduces stress
Reducing stress is one of the best ways to improve sleep quality. A relaxed mind and body will be able to drop everything and sleep peacefully. There are many yoga asanas for sleep disorders that can help you relieve stress just before sleeping. Even a few minutes of deep breathing is helpful in relieving stress at bedtime.
Balanced the nervous system
With regular yoga, your breath patterns improve. This keeps the nervous system balanced, relaxed and calm. As you unwind for the day, your parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest response) gets activated, immediately relaxing your body. When this happens, your body is better able to fall into a restful sleep.
Encourages a balanced routine
The best sleep occurs when you have had a fulfilling day. When your body and mind is tired and exhausted, you can fall into a restful sleep. When you practice yoga regularly you will be living a balanced lifestyle consisting of movement and mindful activities. Your diet will be more balanced, improving digestion and keeping your body in harmony. All of this has a positive impact on your sleep quality.
Increases melatonin levels
Yoga balances your hormones and has a tremendous effect on melatonin levels, the hormone produced by your brain in response to darkness. This helps with your circadian rhythm and sleep. This is also why it is not recommended to live stream shows and movies at night as the blue light tends to block melatonin production. Instead, practice yoga nidra for sleep, deep breathing or gentle yoga poses for better sleep.
What do studies say about yoga for better sleep?
Whether you are suffering from insomnia, sleep apnea or any other condition, yoga can greatly help you sleep better. In a national survey, statistics showed that over 55% of people who did yoga found that it helped them get better sleep. Yoga breathing exercises for sleep apnea are an effective and highly beneficial way of managing this condition. A study also went beyond breathing exercises and Pranayama to survey the impact of yoga. The results indicated the following:
“Yoga is an efficacious, rational, economical and constructive addition to the treatment protocol in patients with sleep apnea. The benefits of yoga in sleep disorders go beyond the scope of measured outcomes. Yoga not only directly affects the oropharyngeal musculature, breathing patterns, nasal and respiratory pathologies, it also aids in alleviating risk factors like obesity, sedentary lifestyle, addictions, anxiety and allergies among others to provide symptomatic relief to the patients. Standardizing the protocols for yoga in treatment for snoring and sleep apnea is the need of the hour.”
In another study, the impact of long term yoga practice on sleep quality and quality of life in the elderly was surveyed to find that yoga exercises as part of the daily routine in elderly people can help achieve good quality sleep. The effect of yoga on sleep quality and insomnia in women with sleep problems found that yoga intervention in women can be beneficial when compared to non-active control conditions in terms of managing sleep problems.
Furthermore, Adult women find it harder to sleep well compared to men, according to statistics. Studies have demonstrated that yoga can benefit many subpopulations of women, such as pregnant women who practice yoga have reduced sleep disturbances. Women going through prenatal anxiety and depression and women going through menopause also stated that they experienced improved sleep after practicing yoga.
What are the best yoga practices for better sleep
Yoga is a holistic practice that involves the mind, body and breath. Practicing yoga poses for insomnia, yoga nidra for sleep and anxiety and breathing exercises for sleep apnea and to relax the nervous system are some of the most beneficial ways you can fall into a more restful sleep. The best to get maximum benefits from this is, of course, through live online classes with certified teachers. They will include practices such as Oceans breathing and Alternate Nostril breathing which will benefit those with sleep apnea, reduce stress and activate the parasympathetic nervous system. Deep breathing and Full Yogic breathing is also a wonderful relaxation technique which will help induce better sleep. Yoga nidra for sleep is an impactful body awareness practice that will help you release stress, relax and sleep better. Practicing meditation regularly through live meditation classes will also help you let go of to-do lists and demanding responsibilities to drift into a peaceful sleep.
Yoga poses for better sleep include Child’s pose, Legs-up-on-the-wall pose, Reclined Cobbler’s pose, Standing Forward Fold pose and the Cat stretch. Yoga also helps you lose weight in a healthy and sustained way, which is beneficial for those with sleep apnea. These yoga practices are also a powerful tool that benefits those with Restless Leg Syndrome.
Conclusion
Yoga helps us make the most of the powerful tool we all have - our breath. When we breathe with awareness, we are keeping our mind and system relaxed, calm and balanced. This helps us keep our energy up, tackle all our responsibilities and end the day in a fulfilled and positive way. With this, automatically we will hit the bed happier and without stress of what’s not done. Even if you are pressed for time or feeling exhausted because of lack of sleep, start a yoga class a few times a week. With time, you will experience profound benefits which will make it easy for you to stick to the habit. From there, it only gets better and better.
