How Yoga Can Improve Your Sleep Quality And Refresh You
Several studies have shown how a good yoga practice or meditation can benefit your snooze time. People with insomnia are advised to perform yoga daily to be able to enjoy a calm and peaceful sleep at night. Practicing yoga helps you fall asleep faster and you stay asleep longer. Here are 8 ways how yoga can improve your sleep quality and refresh you.
Yoga gets rid of stress and keeps your mind calm
Performing yoga at the end of your day can rid you of stress and anxiety at night. Practicing yoga slows down stressful brain activity and helps in calming your mind by reducing cortisol (the stress hormone) levels in your brain. While practicing yoga, remove thoughts of family-related problems, work, conflicts and worries from your mind. Allow yourself to relax and let the effects of yogic meditation take over. This will ensure you enjoy a long and uninterrupted sleep till the next morning.
Yoga increases melatonin production in your body
Melatonin is the substance produced by the brain’s pineal gland. Called the sleep hormone, it is responsible for regulating your sleep and wake cycles every day. Often, work stress, excessive use of electronic gadgets, and working late decrease melatonin production.
Practicing yoga and meditation can boost melatonin production to induce sleep at the right time every night. This lets you get adequate sleep and you wake up feeling refreshed. Yoga also increases serotonin levels, the hormone that regulates appetite, mood, digestion, memory, and physical desire. This is a bonus when practicing yoga.
Yoga improves your breathing while you sleep
Incorrect breathing while you sleep can cause snoring and sleep apnea. These conditions are also caused by obesity, poor circulation, sinus problems, stress and other factors. People with lung problems who may also experience tension and nervousness commonly suffer from sleep apnea. Fortunately, some excellent yoga techniques can help you solve these problems. Yoga emphasizes a lot on proper breathing to strengthen your lungs. With yogic deep breathing, you learn to breathe correctly and breathe better while you sleep.
Yoga helps in releasing the tension from your limbs
Stress and tension can cause you to unconsciously clench your hands or scrunch your face when you try to fall asleep. Such bodily stress makes it difficult for you to fall asleep. With good yoga practice, you will come to realize which parts of your body are tensed and how to release that tension.
Practicing relaxation while focusing on your tense spots releases tension in your limbs, relaxes your muscles, and optimizes your body for sleep. As a beginner, the process might take you a while to learn but in time, you will get the hang of it and even look forward to it every night.
Yoga eases discomfort and pain
Physical discomfort, joint pain, muscle soreness and stiffness can affect your quality of sleep. Luckily, yoga movements can ease your pains and aches. It increases flexibility, mobility, and strength in your body. Yoga exercises are gentle so you don’t have to worry about such issues becoming worse.
Suitable yoga poses like the Bridge pose, will ease the discomfort in your body and relax your brain too. The removal of physical stress then helps your body relax further for a night of deep and refreshing sleep.
You will feel rejuvenated and refreshed in the mornings
Yoga’s breathing exercises and techniques significantly increase the circulation of oxygen in your body. This eliminates toxins hiding in your organs and tissues. Consciously synchronizing your breathing with your movements will improve circulation and the flow of energy throughout your body.
This is why yoga at bedtime combined with a healthy sleep is a completely natural rejuvenation package to rid your body of toxins throughout the night. Yoga is a perfect before-bed daily sleep-time ritual to help you fall asleep on time to wake up refreshed and energized. Choose easy and helpful yoga poses, and follow the same routine every night. You will soon notice the difference.
Yoga poses that can help improve your sleep quality
If you want to get the full benefits of yoga before your bedtime, then you need to know the right poses that are meant to give you a good night’s sleep. Explore the different poses and choose the ones suited to your objectives. Here are some such poses aimed at helping you sleep well at night.
- Uttanasana: Standing Forward Bend
- Prasarita Balasana Yoga: Wide Knee Child’s Pose
- Baddha Konasana: Lying Butterfly
- Shavasana: Corpse Pose
- Viparita Karani: Legs Up the Wall
Yoga doesn’t just keep you energized and refreshed from a good night’s sleep. It has a range of benefits that positively impact your health, body, mood, attitude, and perspective on life.
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