Yoga for Better Sleep: How to Fall Asleep Faster and Wake Up Refreshed
Yoga is a proven way to improve sleep, helping to reduce insomnia, enhance sleep quality, and promote deeper, more restorative rest. By incorporating relaxing yoga poses, mindful breathing techniques, and stress-reducing practices into your nightly routine, yoga calms the mind, reduces stress, and prepares your body for a peaceful night’s sleep, helping you wake up feeling refreshed and energized.
Read on to discover how yoga can transform your sleep and support your overall well-being.
The Science Behind Yoga for Better Sleep
Yoga helps improve sleep by calming both your mind and body. When you practice yoga, you slow down your breathing and move your body in a relaxed way. This helps turn on your parasympathetic nervous system, also called the "rest and digest" system. It’s like flipping a switch that tells your body to relax, lower your heart rate, and reduce stress hormones like cortisol. High levels of cortisol make it harder to fall asleep, so yoga helps lower these levels, making it easier to unwind and fall asleep faster.
Yoga also helps by quieting your mind. When you focus on your breath and movements, you stop worrying about the day’s stress or problems. This is important because your brain can keep you awake if it’s full of thoughts. Yoga helps calm those racing thoughts and keeps you in the moment, which is key to falling asleep. Plus, yoga helps balance your circadian rhythm, which is like your body’s natural clock that controls when you feel sleepy or awake. When you do yoga regularly, it helps reset this clock, making it easier to get to sleep and wake up at the right times.
Yoga Poses for Better Sleep: 5 Poses to Help You Relax and Rest
Yoga is an excellent way to improve sleep quality, and incorporating specific poses into your evening routine can make a big difference. You don’t need to do all of these poses—even practicing just one of them can have an immediate effect on your ability to relax and sleep better. Certain yoga poses help reduce tension, calm the nervous system, and relax the body, making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep. Here are five effective yoga poses that promote better sleep, along with their benefits, how to get into each pose, and how they affect your sleep:
1. Legs Up the Wall (Viparita Karani)
Benefits: Improves circulation and reduces leg discomfort.
How it affects sleep: Promotes relaxation and activates the parasympathetic nervous system.
How to get into the pose: Sit next to a wall, then lie on your back with your legs up against it. Relax your arms by your sides or place them on your belly. Stay in the pose for 3-5 minutes, breathing deeply and allowing your body to relax.
2. Shavasana (Corpse Pose)
Benefits: Relaxes the entire body and mind, promoting deep relaxation.
How it affects sleep: Calms the mind and reduces tension, making it easier to fall asleep.
How to get into the pose: Lie flat on your back with your legs extended and arms relaxed by your sides. Close your eyes and focus on your breath. Stay in the position for 5-10 minutes, letting go of any tension.
3. Seated Forward Fold (Paschimottanasana)
Benefits: Stretches the spine, hamstrings, and lower back.
How it affects sleep: Calms the nervous system and reduces stress.
How to get into the pose: Sit on the floor with your legs extended straight in front of you. Slowly hinge forward from your hips, reaching for your feet or shins. Keep your spine long and your shoulders relaxed. Hold the position for 1-3 minutes, breathing deeply.
4. Reclining Bound Angle Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana)
Benefits: Opens the hips and stretches the inner thighs.
How it affects sleep: Releases physical and emotional tension, helping you relax.
How to get into the pose: Lie on your back and bring the soles of your feet together, letting your knees fall out to the sides. Place your hands on your belly or by your sides. Stay in the pose for 3-5 minutes, allowing your body to relax deeply.
5. Child’s Pose (Balasana)
Benefits: Releases tension in your back, neck, and shoulders.
How it affects sleep: Calms the mind and prepares the body for rest.
How to get into the pose: Start on your hands and knees, with wrists under shoulders and knees under hips. Slowly lower your hips toward your heels, bringing your forehead to the floor (or use a cushion for support). Stretch your arms in front of you or relax them by your sides. Breathe deeply and stay in this position for 1-3 minutes.
