5 Yoga Asanas To Improve Your Sleep Quality
It is necessary to take six to eight hours of sleep regularly to stay healthy, happy, and active. During sleep, the body starts the healing job on a cellular level and removes toxins. It is for this reason that you feel fresh after taking a good sleep. But missing your sleep could affect your health adversely.
How Does Sleep Affect Health?
Not getting enough sleep of up to eight hours daily is an indication of aging. It shows that you are aging faster than you should. It could interfere with your thinking process. You will look confused and muddled because of the slowing down of the thinking process.
You should check whether you are suffering from insomnia. If yes then start the treatment today. Or you should look for more reliable ways of changing your sleeping pattern from poor to healthy. For example, you can switch off your mobile phone while going to sleep to prevent distractions.
You can find many products like lights and candles that help with sleeping. You can try meditation to calm your tense nerves and drive the stress away. Also, taking a light meal at dinner can help in get good sleep for fully eight hours. But you should never rely on sleeping pills.
How To Take Good Sleep?
There are many ways to get good sleep. For example, you can do yoga exercises that can bring your body and mind into a position where you have no difficulty sleeping. Practicing yoga is a good way to improve your sleeping habit.
Yoga can help cure ailments like insomnia which is the biggest reason for poor sleeping habits. With yoga, you can develop good sleeping habits. Also, you can easily practice yoga exercises at home. There are simple yoga asanas that require little training.
Here’re 5 Yoga Asanas To Improve Your Sleep
- Standing Forward Bend (Hastapadasana)
How To:
• Stand straight with your back straight, feet closed, and arms on the sides
• Balance your body on your feet
• Take a deep breath and stretch your arms overhead
• Bend your body forward down to your feet while breathing out
• Keep your legs straight and spine stretched
• Hands could be on the floor or the legs according to your comfort
• Move the chest towards your knees, lift the hip and tailbone higher, press the heels down, and move the head gently towards your feet
• Maintain the position for 20-30 seconds and come to the starting position
Benefits: It invigorates the nervous system by stretching the muscles and increasing the blood supply. It tones the abdominal muscles and makes the spine supple.
Precautions:People with back problems like spondylitis, cervical, and injuries shouldn’t try this asana.
- Cat Stretch (Marjariasana)
How To:
• Come down on your fours in a tabletop position with all your hands and feet forming the legs of the table and your back forming the top
• Keep your hands directly under your shoulders and hands perpendicular to the floor
• Your knees should be hip-width apart
• Look straight ahead
• Raise your chin and tilt your head back and simultaneously push your navel downwards, raise your tailbone, and compress your buttocks
• Hold the cat pose for up to 30 seconds before releasing
• Drop your chin to your chest, arch your back up as much as possible, and relax your buttocks
• Hold this pose for a few seconds before coming to the tabletop position
Benefits: It relaxes the mind by improving blood circulation, improves the digestive system by massaging the digestive organs, and brings flexibility to the spine.
Precautions: People with problems in the back or neck should avoid this asana.
- Child Pose (Shishuasana)
How To:
• Come down on your heels with your hips resting on your hips and hands on your thighs
• Bend forward and lower your forehead until it touches the floor
• Bring your arms alongside your body so your hands touch the floor with your palms facing up
• Or you can make a cushion with your fists and rest your forehead on it if you aren’t comfortable with your hands flat on the floor
• Gently press your chest on the thighs
• Slowly return to the starting position and relax your back
Benefits: It calms down the nervous system by relaxing the back. It also relieves constipation and improves digestion.
Precautions: Pregnant women and people with back and knee problems should avoid this asana.
- Butterfly Pose (Badhakonasana)
How To:
• Sit down on your buttocks with your back straight and legs stretched out
• Bring your heels close to your buttocks by joining your feet
• Grab your feet with your hands or you can place your hands under the feet to support
• Make an effort to bring your heels as close to the buttocks as possible and press the thighs and knees downwards to start
• Start flapping both legs up and down like the wings of a butterfly
• Keep your heels closer to your pelvis and soles joined while flapping your legs
• Try to increase the speed gradually
Benefits: It is a good stretch for the inner thighs, groins, and knees. It removes fatigue from long hours of working. It brings relief from menstrual discomfort and menopause symptoms.
Precautions: Sciatica patients and people with groin and knee problems should avoid this asana.
- Legs-Up-The-Wall Pose (Viparita Karani)
How To:
• Lie down on your back close to a wall so you can walk your legs on the wall
• Slowly walk your legs up on the wall until your legs are stretched up completely
• You can keep your legs close or hip-width apart
• Find a comfortable position for your hands so you feel relaxed
• Hold the pose for 30 seconds and come back to the starting position
Benefits: It increases blood supply to the brain and relaxes the leg muscles. This asana is a good cure for sciatica problems. It increases energy and boosts thyroid function. It is also a good asana to cure headaches.
Precautions: People with medical conditions like hernia and glaucoma should avoid this asana.
Disclaimer: The above information is for educational purposes only and the readers are advised to consult their doctors before trying any asana for curing sleep-related problems.
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