Yoga before bedtime is an excellent way to let go of anything you’re holding onto mentally or physically before settling down for a good night’s sleep.
Incorporating a relaxing yoga practice into your nightly routine may help you sleep better and for longer periods. This is especially beneficial for people who have difficulty sleeping, suffer from insomnia, or only have a limited time to sleep. According to a national poll, more than 55% of yoga practitioners stated it helped them sleep better. Over 85 percent of those asked claimed yoga helped them relax. Bolsters, blankets, and blocks can be used to make postures more comfortable so that you can stay in them for longer periods while still breathing.
Breathing is as important as, if not more important than, the physical stance in yoga. You must be able to manage your breathing to relax in these poses. Continue reading to learn about the benefits of bedtime yoga, yoga positions to try, and success tips.
Yoga Poses That Help you Sleep Better
Lots of people have questioned whether to do yoga before or after a workout. Well, yoga has lots of poses that help you take breaks. Hence, you don’t get burnt out even if you do yoga after a workout. The popular relaxing poses are called yoga cooldowns, and the child’s pose is one of the most prominent.
If you’re looking to sleep better with Yoga, try out the poses below:
Standing Forward Bend
In addition to assisting with relieving headaches and insomnia, this yoga posture is also extremely beneficial for lowering stress and anxiety levels. Standing with your feet approximately 6 inches apart, fold your chest to the ground, reaching for the flat surface, or consider bending the arms and grasping the opposite hand to the opposite elbow to achieve this position. While performing the Uttanasana, you must sway slightly from side to side and take deep breaths. Your knees must be bent as far as necessary to alleviate any strain experienced. It will take time for the stiffness in the hips and legs to begin to dissipate.
Plow Pose
Staying in the plow stance for 1 to 5 minutes will aid in falling asleep. Nothing more complicated than lying down on your back and lifting your legs above your head, then to the flat surface behind you. Your hands must either be on your back or on the floor for stability. It is possible to infuse new life into the body by turning around its blood circulation.
Cat stretch: This is a fantastic stretch for making the spine more elastic, and it can be done anywhere. It also softly massages the digestive organs and aids in the recovery of the digestion process, allowing you to sleep better at night. Additionally, it promotes blood circulation and is calming to the mind and body.
Child Pose
This posture provides the most relaxing stretch for the back and helps to relax the nervous system, allowing you to sleep more comfortably at night.
Legs Up The Wall Pose
This simple but effective pose, which is practiced against a wall, provides incredible nighttime relaxation and relief from stress and tension. To achieve the optimum results, it is recommended that you remain in the pose for as long as possible, with your eyes closed, and use a relaxing eye pillow if necessary. This yoga stance has a relaxing effect on the body. The blood can return to the heart when the legs are flipped upwards.
Tips and Tricks for Bedtime Yoga
You may make the most of your bedtime yoga session in various ways. Make a time limit for yourself, even if it’s only 10 minutes. This way, you’ll have enough time to finish your selected practice, prolong the session if time allows, and get to bed before your scheduled bedtime.
Concentrate on relaxing, restorative, and inward-focused poses. Slower yoga styles are ideal, such as Hatha, yin, and restorative. Hot or vinyasa yoga should be avoided.
Backbends and other dynamic, energetic postures should be avoided. Do breathing exercises that will help you sleep better at the end of your session.
Choose a suitable temperature, empty the room of devices, and use candles or an essential oil diffuser to produce a peaceful aroma for a good sleep environment.
Practice in a room with dim lighting and an eye mask for longer holds. Choose music that will help you sleep, such as binaural beats or Solfeggio frequencies, as background music. Earplugs can be used to block out noise.
Benefits of Yoga for Sleep
Yoga for sleep has many perks. While the most obvious one is helping you sleep better, it doesn’t stop there.
Helps With Insomnia
Yoga can help you manage insomnia symptoms if you practice it regularly. You may be able to fall asleep faster, sleep for longer periods, and return to sleep after waking up in the middle of the night.
According to research published in 2019, yoga and other mind-body therapies are useful in treating insomnia and promoting better sleep. People who did meditation, tai chi, qigong, and yoga had better sleep habits. To elaborate on these findings, more in-depth research is required.
Loss of Weight
Regular yoga practice is linked to weight loss and better sleep. Yoga before bed can help you sleep better, which impacts weight loss and maintenance. It may also assist you in becoming more aware of your eating patterns.
Enhances Sleep and Overall Quality of Life
Yoga is a natural alternative to pharmacological sleep aids frequently prescribed to seniors.
In a 2013 study, researchers looked at the long-term consequences of yoga practice on older persons. In comparison to the control group, who did not observe as many benefits, they discovered that practicing yoga positively influenced sleep quality and general life.
Aids With Relaxation
The fight-or-flight response is the polar opposite of this. Yoga may aid in the relaxation response. Relaxing yoga poses can help you relax and attain a reduced arousal state.
Lower blood pressure and lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol may result from this. Weight gain, anxiety, and insomnia are all stress-related issues that can be alleviated with a routine.
Exercise for Sleep
Yoga is excellent for sleep and has many mental and physical benefits beyond sleep too. The whole concept behind yoga for sleep is that exercise in general is good for sleep. Exercise, like in the classes we offer at Fort Fitness, is an amazing way to use your energy, release endorphins, relieve stress, and give you more energy. To learn more about fitness classes in Laguna Hills, CA, call Fort Fitness at 949-544-1557.
