Can Yoga Help Improve Sleep?
- By Alyssa Ruffing
- Aug 1, 2019
We all want to live our healthiest life, and as we all know the quality of sleep you get plays a large role in your day to day health. If you do have issues sleeping, there are a lot of different ideas you can try to combat your insomnia. One idea that has been known to help with overall sleep quality is yoga.
Yoga can do more than help you relax, improve flexibility and strength. It can help to reduce stress levels as well as help you sleep better. If you have not tried yoga before, even some beginner level poses, give it a try! You may be surprised with how relaxed it makes you feel. If you are someone that wants to try and incorporate yoga into your nighttime routine, make sure to practice poses that will help you to relax and prepare for sleep, rather than cause you to feel energized. There are a few different types of poses to try that can help you sleep better:
Butterfly Pose
This pose is a pretty familiar one; sit on the floor, with a straight posture, and place the soles of your feet together in front of you. Grab a hold of your feet or ankles. If you can, bring your feet as close as you can towards your groin. Take some deep, slow breathes and try to sit as straight up as you can.
Corpse Pose
Another pretty common yoga pose, the corpse pose is also good at helping you relax prior to bed time. It is a fairly simple one. Climb into bed with a blanket on, and try to cut out all other disturbances. Make sure you are comfortable, and let your jaw relax and teeth part. Try to relax every muscle and bone in your body, and just focus on your body becoming heavy with every inhale and exhale. Imagine that every time you exhale, you are releasing your thoughts with your breath. Try to stay here for at least 20 minutes, and by that time you will probably have fallen asleep!
Legs Up the Wall
The final pose that is great for practicing before bed is the legs up the wall pose. It is done just as it sounds. Take a seat sideways with your hip against the wall, and then swing your legs up the wall, and lie backwards. If you find yourself feeling uncomfortable, try to slide away from the wall a bit. Place your arms at your sides, and try to focus only on your breathing.
Sources:
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/connection-between-yoga-and-better-sleep
https://www.yogajournal.com/poses/7-yoga-poses-thatll-help-you-fall-asleep-faster
