Tossing and turning each night in bed? Waking up several times during the night? Most of us have been there at some point in our lives. Often stress is the culprit, but poor sleep can stress us out even more! Research and studies show that practicing yoga regularly can help you fall asleep faster and sleep better. New to yoga? No problem! This post is for you! We have chosen the top 10 best beginner’s yoga poses for better sleep and insomnia!
Top 10 Best Beginner’s Yoga Poses For Better Sleep and Insomnia
When it comes to better sleep, gentle and restorative poses are best. Hatha yoga is among the most highly recommended type because it it’s done at a slower pace and with more emphasis on flexibility. These poses are meant to be done slowly and gently without deep stretching or over straining your body. Dim the lights, light a candle, and play some quiet and relaxing poses as you calmly try the following yoga poses for better sleep and insomnia:
- Child’s Pose (Balasana)
- Reclined Bound Angle Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana)
- Reclined Big Toe Pose (Supta Padangusthasana)
- Legs Up the Wall Pose (Viparita Karani)
- Reclining Eagle Spinal Twist Pose (Supta Parivrtta Garudasana)
- Perfect Pose (Siddhasana)
- Half Forward Bend (Ardha Uttanasana)
- Half Bow Pose (Ardha Dhanurasana)
- Happy Baby Pose (Ananda Balasana)
- Corpse Pose (Shavasana)
Avoid Raising Heart Rate or Sweating – Keep It Cool!
You want to avoid any type of hot yoga since we sleep best in cooler environments and with lower body temperatures. In addition to hot yoga, you also want to avoid doing difficult poses, especially in quick succession. This will speed up your heart rate and get your blood pumping – not good before bed! This means most Vinyasa yoga poses are also a poor choice. So make sure to take it slow!
Don’t forget to wear comfortable and loose fitting clothing that won’t restrict movement and will allow you to move freely. Above all, remember to stay in the present moment and breath slowly and deeply, inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth.
The Science, Studies, and Research Behind Yoga Poses For Better Sleep And Insomnia
The science behind yoga poses for better sleep has been proven by numerous studies. Their conclusion?
Yoga is proven to reduce stress. It calms the body and mind. Stress is among the top reasons for insomnia and poor sleep quality.
“Stress and sleep are closely linked. It can adversely affect sleep quality and duration, while insufficient sleep can increase stress levels. Both stress and a lack of sleep can lead to lasting physical and mental health problems.”
Medical News Today – How to tell if stress is affecting your sleep
Although there are many studies from around the world on yoga’s benefits towards sleep, one of the best is:
This analysis combined research from 19 different studies and with 1832 female participants. These women all had preexisting sleep issues. Their goal was to measure and compare differences in sleep quality and insomnia severity for yoga practitioners with control groups that did not practice yoga. Instruments to measure sleeping patterns and quality included polysomnography and actigraphy monitors . Techniques also included subjective instruments such as Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI).
The results were convincing and showed yoga can have a substantial positive effect on sleep quality!
“The meta-analysis of the combined data conducted according to Comprehensive Meta-Analysis showed a significant improvement in sleep. Meta-analyses revealed positive effects of yoga using PSQI scores in 16 randomized control trials (RCTs), compared with the control group in improving sleep quality among women using PSQI .”
The effect of yoga on sleep quality and insomnia in women with sleep problems: a systematic review and meta-analysis.”
Yoga Poses Activate PNS and Calm PNS for Better Sleep
Although backed by science and countless studies, you may wondering how yoga helps improve sleep.
Yoga improves sleep by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system and calming the sympathetic nervous system.
When highly stressed, you are generally stimulating high activity in your sympathetic nervous system (SNS). This system evolved for us to handle crisis situations that threatened our survival, and is also connected with our “fight or flight” response. Unfortunately, however, we can still turn on this system when we are super stressed and not in real danger!
When highly active for too long, the SNS can negatively impact your health in a number of ways, including sleep quality. Blood pressure increases. Heart and respiratory rates also increase. Blood moves away from the digestive system and major organs and into your limbs instead to prepare your body for fighting or running away. Additionally, other stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol also rise, too. All of this in the long run takes a toll on our bodies, especially our immune system. It also becomes a repetitive and vicious cycle as the body and mind become more and more conditioned to being in a state of chronic stress.
The solution? The parasympathetic nervous system (PNS)!
This system does the opposite of your SNS, and one of its primary functions is relaxation! When stimulated, blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate all decrease. Similarly, stress hormones decrease and blood returns to the digestive system and organs.
Yoga is an excellent technique for stimulating the PNS and calming the SNS! Say goodbye to stress and say hello to a good night’s sleep!
And another way that yoga helps in combating stress and anxiety is by stimulating the Vagus nerve, the longest craniosacral nerve in our body which is in charge of our wellbeing. Read more on the yoga poses to use to stimulate it and in turn to activate the PNS here.
Top 10 Best Beginner’s Yoga Poses For Better Sleep and Insomnia
Child’s Pose (Balasana)
How to do it:
- Get on hands and knees.
- Open knees shoulder width apart with big toes touching and tops of feet touching the floor.
- Bring head and torso down and rest stomach between thighs.
- Place forehead on floor, and relax shoulders, neck and face.
- Stretch out your arms in front of body with palms touching the floor.
- Hold this pose for 1-2 minutes.
Balasana is also a great pose to include if you want to develop more empathy in your heart. Here’s how yoga, meditation and mudras can help you do that.
Reclined Bound Angle Pose (Supta Baddha Konasana)
How to do it:
- Begin in a seated position by practicing Staff Pose (Dandasana).
- Extend your legs in front of you and bend your knees.
- Pull your heels in towards your pelvis and place soles of feet together.
- Drop knees so that your legs open on both sides.
- Bring elbows down to the floor as you slowly lower you back and lie down completely.
- Relax shoulders and arms with palms facing up.
- Hold for 30-60 seconds.
Reclined Big Toe Pose (Supta Padangusthasana)
How to do it:
- Lay on your back and stretch your legs out fully.
- Bend your right knee and pull your leg into your chest.
- Place a yoga strap (you can also use a belt, scarf, necktie, or towel) around the arch of the right foot.
- Hold the strap with each hand tightly and begin to straighten your right leg as you raise it towards to ceiling.
- Continue the stretch with foot flexed and buttocks resting on floor.
- Keep left leg pressing towards floor with left foot also flexed.
- Hold for 5 to 10 breaths and then come out of pose by bending knee and slowly bringing down.
- Repeat with left leg, do one stretch and hold for 5 to 10 breaths per leg.
Legs Up the Wall Pose (Viparita Karani)
How to do it:
- Set your mat against the wall with the shorter edge touching.
- Comfortably lie on your side with legs touching against wall.
- In one fluid motion, bring legs up the wall as your turn onto your back.
- Straighten your legs and make sure they are also fully touching the wall.
- You can bring legs together or put them in a V-shape.
- Place arms at your side and tuck in shoulders.
- Hold pose for up to 5 minutes. Come out of pose by bending knees into body and gently rolling to one side.
If held for long enough, Viparita Karani becomes a mudra to alleviate stress, depression and anxiety. Read more about other mudras that can do this for you here.
Reclining Eagle Spinal Twist Pose (Supta Parivrtta Garudasana)
How to do it:
- Comfortably lie down fully on your back.
- Bend knees and place feet flat on the floor.
- Bring both knees to your chest with both hands around them.
- While keeping your right knee in your chest, fully extend your left leg.
- Stretch out and extend your right arm with your palm facing down.
- Place left hand hand on the right knee and drop your right knee over to the left side of your body.
- While keeping hand on right knee, turn head to the right.
- Keep shoulder blades pressing firmly on floor as your feel the stretch.
- Bring both knees to chest and then extend left leg and repeat to stretch the other side.
- Hold each side for 10 breaths.
Perfect Pose (Siddhasana)
How to do it:
- Comfortably sit on your mat with your legs full extended in front of you.
- Place both hands at your sides with palms down.
- Bend your left knee and bring your left heel into your groin area.
- Bend your right knee and bring your right heel to the front of your left ankle.
- Exhale and lift your right foot and place it slightly above your left ankle.
- Gently pull your right heel into your groin area.
- Slide and tuck the toes of your right foot between your calf and thigh muscles.
- Place your hands on each knee with palms up or down.
- Relax your shoulders and arms and straighten your back.
- Sit upright with head up and eyes facing forward.
- Hold for 30-45 breaths or about 3 minutes.
Half Forward Bend (Ardha Uttanasana)
How to do it:
- Start in Standing Forward Fold Pose (Uttanasana), and place your fingertips on the floor beside your feet.
- Straighten your elbows and arch your torso away from your thighs.
- Push down against the floor with fingertips and lift sternum upwards away from floor.
- Continue lifting body so that crown of your head is facing forward and eyes are looking down.
- Bend your knees slightly bent and arch your back.
- Straighten your torso by pressing fingertips into the floor or on shins.
- Lift head slight and look forward without rounding the back or compressing the neck. Keep the spine straight.
- Stretch the quadriceps while keeping knees slightly bent.
- Hold this pose for one minute.
Half Bow Pose (Ardha Dhanurasana)
How to do it:
- Lie on your stomach with your legs slightly apart.
- Lower your chin down to the floor.
- Move your right arm over your head with palm facing down
- Bend your right knee and grab the right ankle with your left hand.
- While still grabbing right ankle, inhale, stretch and lift so that right leg, head, and chest come off floor.
- Look up and keep the neck aligned with the spine
- Keep right arm pressed down for support as you lift and hold pose.
- Come out of pose by slowly lowering leg, arm, chest, and head down to the floor while exhaling.
- Repeat on the other side.
- Hold each side for 3-6 breaths.
Happy Baby Pose (Ananda Balasana)
How to do it:
- Lie on your back while keeping your spine as straight as possible.
- Pull your knees up and into your chest while keeping your hips down. Make sure your tailbone stays on the mat and your spine remains in neutral position.
- Flex feet with your soles facing up.
- Grab both big toes with your index and middle fingers and pull down gently.
- Keep soles of feet facing up as your knees move closer to your chest.
- Breathe slowly and deeply as you stretch the hamstrings, inner groin, and spine. You can also try rocking back and forth gently to massage the spine.
- Hold for 30-60 seconds.
Corpse Pose (Shavasana)
How to do it:
- Start by lying on your back.
- Extend your legs all the way out and spread them about shoulder width apart.
- Let your feet gently fall to either side.
- Place your arms next to your body and spread them out comfortably with palms up.
- For additional support, tuck your shoulder blades onto your back.
- Relax your entire body and release all tension in limbs. Let your fingers curl. Let the feet and toes fall naturally as you let go and release tension throughout the body.
- Relax in this position and breathe normally and naturally.
- Stay in this pose for 5-20 minutes.
Conclusion
If you struggle with sleep, you are not alone. A recent Consumer Reports survey estimated 68% of Americans struggled with sleep at least once per week. That’s an estimated 164 million people! Very often, stress is the leading cause. Yoga is proven by numerous studies to reduce stress and to improve sleep by activating our parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) and calming our sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and its associated “fight or flight” stress response. We have listed the top 10 beginner’s yoga poses for insomnia and better sleep. Try them today and get some well deserved rest!
Sources
How to tell if stress is affecting your sleep
Americans who practice yoga report better wellness, health behaviors
Consumer Reports – Why Americans Can’t Sleep
Shanti Arunkumar, Senior Contributor At L’Aquila Active
Learn more about Shanti by reading her bio below.
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