Yoga and Insomnia
December 13, 2008 by rainier
Insomnia is a sleep disorder that is characterized by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, waking too early, and/or feeling tired upon waking. Acute insomnia (lasting from one night to a few weeks) is the most common and is usually caused by stress, hormonal changes, and/or emotional problems.For many people, insomnia disturbs their daily life by diminishing the restorative benefits of a good nights sleep. Some health care practitioners resist thinking of insomnia as a sleep problem and characterize it as a syndrome of inappropriate arousal. Fortunately, the stress reducing, calming and natural balancing effects of yoga make it a perfect remedy for mild and acute insomnia, and along with good sleep habits insomnia can often be prevented or quickly cured. A gentle practice of calming yoga poses will be generally effective to reduce stress and balance the body’s systems to promote good sleep.
Exercising regularly may help you sleep better at night. Vigorous yoga, such as power yoga or Ashtanga, done at least three times a week is a good choice. Avoid intense exercise right before you go to bed by doing your practice earlier in the day.
*Three-part breath is very helpful for clearing the mind of the day’s clutter. Use this simple exercise to prepare your body for sleep.
Before going to bed, you can do a few gentle stretches to relieve tension and help you relax. Happy baby is a good choice because it releases the low back and hips, leaving you feeling looser and more relaxed. Goddess pose, which opens the groins, is another option. You can do both these poses while lying in bed.
Corpse pose ends every yoga class, and it’s a good way to end your day too. Lying in bed, focus on each part of your body and soften it before moving on. Begin with the toes, move up the legs and arms, through the torso to the neck, face and head. Then spend a few minutes just breathing. If you find your mind wandering during this time, don’t engage in your thoughts; instead, bring your attention back to your breath. This helps create a break from your active mind and allows you to relax for sleep.
*If you awaken during the night, practicing the Complete Breath (a gentle rhythmic breathing cycle) while lying on your back. This technique relaxes your mind and body by focusing on the sound and rhythm of the breath, leading you back to sleep before you know it. You can practice this breathing exercise any time of day to interrupt racing thoughts and give yourself a break from stress.
*If stress is contributing to your insomnia, then a more active or flowing approach to yoga would be warranted. Including some of the following hip openers and side bends in your yoga practice would also be beneficial: prayer squat, seated and standing angle, supine bound angle, half moon, half circle, and side seated angle. Establishing a daily meditation practice will also be important to calm the mind and effectively manage stress.
Always end your yoga practice with a 7-10 minute shavasana (relaxation) pose. You can also add a progressive muscle relaxation or a guided relaxation during shavasana to further calm and relax the body and mind.
L-tryptophan also works well for insomnia. just take one 500 mg pill 2 hours before sleeping.
after enrolling on a Yoga Class, i am not stress free and is more relaxed than ever. Yoga is really very helpful both in physical and mental health.
i am currently enrolled in a Yoga class. the health benefits of Yoga on myself is great. I am more relaxed and i can sleep well at night.
i practice Yoga purely for the purpose of reducing stress and it really works. Yoga keeps both of my mind and body relax.