It’s a well-known fact that sleep disorders such as insomnia are endemic in our stress-filled, caffeine-driven contemporary lifestyles. In a recent study, it was shown that Britons are the world’s most ‘sleep deprived’ people, with 37 percent of the population reporting that they regularly don’t get enough shut-eye.
The health implications of sleep deprivation are equally shocking. It’s been shown that when the brain is starved of sleep, its synapses begin to be ‘eaten’ by other cells in the brain. What’s more, a lack of sleep can trigger the release of a chemical in the brain that leads to Alzheimer’s disease, and even that it’s physically ‘as bad as smoking’.
The effects are also felt in our wallets. A recent study showed that sleep deprivation costs the UK economy a staggering £40 billion a year, due to people missing work and then under-performing because of exhaustion.
So, how can we begin to tackle this epidemic? One activity that’s been proven to help sufferers of insomnia and severe sleep deprivation is yoga. Yoga’s soporific force appears to have a dual action: it helps to give you a thorough workout, tiring your muscles; and its natural mindfulness helps to release pent-up stress.
Below, we outline the top six benefits that yoga has on sleep, from reducing anxiety to allowing your central nervous system to close down. Namaste and good night!
1. Yoga revives the body
There are two main ways that yoga helps to revive the body. It aids the release of toxins that can get stored in tissues and organs, and also, the complex breathing exercises increase the circulation of oxygen, which is vital to replenish the body.
One way to improve sleep is to do a burst of yoga before bedtime. Start your practice with a short meditation, then follow with a seated twist, a cross-legged bend, knees-to-chest pose, half happy baby, and a reclining twist. Make sure to stay focused on your breathing throughout, as you allow the stresses and strains that have built up over the day to drift away.
2. Yoga relieves stress and anxiety
Stress and anxiety are mental states of unease, but they have many physical implications, including issues with your immune system, digestion, and sleep. According to one study, 70 percent of people suffering from anxiety and stress also have trouble sleeping, so combating that stress is essential to being able to have a good night’s rest.
Yoga reduces the body’s natural stress responses, functioning like other self-soothing practices such as socializing with friends, or meditation. By reducing perceived stress and anxiety, it lowers heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration.
3. Yoga unwinds the nervous system
The central nervous system is made up of the brain and spinal cord and is responsible for reacting to sensory stimulation. When we drift off to sleep, hormone levels change in the brain, meaning that the central nervous system goes into a different mode – essentially one that allows us to become unconscious.
Yoga can aid this process, by increasing blood flow to the brain’s central sleep center and stimulating glands that are responsible for releasing the hormones that are essential to sleep.
4. Yoga can provide a nightly ritual
Do you often find yourself stuck to your iPad, smartphone, or television set just before bed, only to then lie awake for hours tossing and turning?
The blue light that’s emitted from screens is terrible for the brain’s ability to sleep because it mimics daylight and thus confusing the central nervous system, which thinks it must be daytime and so releases cortisol – the ‘stress’ hormone.
Instead of texting your mates before bed, try doing a few yoga poses before sleep. They’ll give you the self-discipline not to look at screens, release some tension, and lull you into the relaxed frame of mind that’s necessary for sleeping.
5. Yoga improves the overall quality of our sleep
Practicing yoga regularly not only improves your ability to fall asleep, but also the quality of that sleep when you finally drop off.
In one study, patients suffering from insomnia were given a basic yoga training, then asked to practice it every day for eight weeks. The researchers found an improvement to several aspects of their sleep, including the amount of time it took for them to drop off; a reduction in the number of times they woke up in the night; the duration of time between waking; and the total amount of time they slept each night.
Yoga provides the basis for a sustainable, long-term healthy lifestyle. By making it part of your day-to-day routine, you receive the benefits of the physical low-impact exercise and the mental benefits of reduced stress and anxiety – both essential to better sleep.
6. Yoga evokes peace and calm
Yoga provides one with an undeniable sense of peace, calm and serenity. The mixture of postures that are often held for a long period of time, a relaxing setting, evocative music, and gentle instructions combine to create a relaxing and peaceful atmosphere – all essential to falling asleep. If practiced before bed, yoga can mentally and physically prepare us for our shut-eye. It’s the ideal way to wind down after a busy and stressful day.