10 Yoga Poses for Better Sleep You Can Do Daily Before Bed
Sleeping is one of the most essential habits of our daily life. Yes, to relax your body and restore energy and memory you need a sound sleep at least once every 24 hours. If you do not sleep properly you’ll feel lazy and unproductive.
If you are physically active during the day, most probably you get restful sleep at night. But many people are not lucky enough, hence they take sleeping pills or cope to manage to take sleep over the night, which is not good for their health.
And if you are one of them, physically not active or coping with a sleeping disorder, you can try some yoga poses and get sound sleep at night.
Before bedtime exercise is not recommended by the experts, but stretching and meditative movement like yoga helps to improve sleep quality. Hence, we brought here the best yoga poses and their benefits for sleep.
10 Best Yoga Postures for Good Sleep
#1 Child’s Pose
The child’s pose releases tension in the back and shoulders, gently stretches the hips and has an overall soothing effect. Starting on the tabletop, sink your hips back to your heels and settle your chest between your thighs.
To perform this posture you have to your big toes are touching one another and your knees as far apart as they need to be to let you breathe deeply. Walk your hands out in front of you, stretching through your arms.
Your forehead can rest on the ground, or, for a mini massage, place a tennis ball or massage ball under your forehead and gently roll from side to side. This step stimulates an acupressure point believed to eliminate nervous tension.
#2 Cat/Cow
Transiting your body between cat and cow yoga poses releases upper-back and neck tension and synchronizes breath and movement, which starts to calm the body and mind. Come into a tabletop position on the floor, with hands under shoulders and knees under hips.
As you inhale, drop the belly, press the chest forward and look up. Exhale; tuck the chin toward the chest and round the spine. Move fluidly between the two poses so that with each inhale you come into the cow and with each exhale you come into a cat. Take three to five breaths.
#3 Thread the Needle
This gentle twist releases shoulder stress and starts to stretch and loosen the lower back. Start in tabletop position, wrists under shoulders and knees under hips. As you inhale, take the right arm to the sky, palm facing away from the body.
Exhale and sweep the right arm under the chest, resting the shoulder on the ground. Turn the right palm up toward the sky and rest the right cheek on the ground. Keep the left palm pressing into the earth or deepen the twist by taking the left hand to the small of your back.
Also Read: 5 Exercises or Workouts You Can Do at Home without Equipment
Hold for five breaths. Then, on an inhale sweep the right hand toward the sky for a gentle counter-twist. Exhale, return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
#4 Low Lunge
These yoga workouts start to open up the psoas muscle, the deepest muscle in the core that connects the spine to the legs. The psoas helps move us forward when we walk or run, support internal organs and connects to the diaphragm, directly impacting our breath. Relaxing the psoas allows us to take deeper, diaphragmatic breaths.
Now come back to the tabletop, step your right foot forward between your hands and slide your left knee farther behind you. Keep your hands on the floor, framing the front foot, or place them on your front knee. Take five to 10 breaths here and switch legs.
#5 Neck Massage With Balls
This yoga pose helps release neck tension and stimulates the vagus nerve, the driving force behind the parasympathetic nervous system, which impacts sleep and mood. To perform, just come down onto your back with a yoga block or thick book under your head.
Now turn your head to the right and place the ball on your upper neck behind your ear. Take five deep breaths here. Then gently nod “yes” three or four times, and nod “no” three or four times. And, switch sides.
#6 Bear Hugs and Snow Angels
These two exercises open the chest, release tension in the back and shoulders and counteract posture problems — poor posture has been shown to affect stress, mood, breathing and circulation.
To do come down on your back and place two tennis or massage balls in between your shoulder blades at the top of your spine. Keep your knees bent and feet on the floor. Rest your head on the floor and take your arms out to your sides like cactus arms.
Also Read: Why is it Important to Brush Your Teeth at Night: 3 Benefits
Take three to five breaths here. Then, give yourself a hug crossing your right arm over left and switch, crossing your left arm over right. Repeat these bear hugs a few times. Then, take your arms back out into the cactus shape.
Now inhale and slowly extend your arms overhead. Exhale and bring the elbows into your waist. Repeat three to five times, trying to keep the arms on the floor throughout the movement.
Lift your hips and roll the balls down your spine a few inches and repeat. Keep rolling the balls down your back and repeating the bear hugs and snow angels until you get to the mid-back.
#7 Figure-Four Stretch
This stretch, also known as “supine pigeon” in yoga, opens up the hips, relieves pressure in the lower back and counteracts too much sitting and poor posture. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor.
Cross your right foot over your left thigh, just above your knee. Stay here, or hold onto the back of your left thigh and gently pull both legs toward you. Flex both feet and keep your left foot at knee height or higher. Hold for five to 10 breaths and switch sides.
#8 Knee to Chest to Spinal Twist
This combination move stretches the hips and lower back. Stretch out your legs and slide them together. Pull your right knee into your chest clasping your fingers around your right shin and gently hug your knee in to stretch your low back and hips. Hold for three breaths.
Now release your knee and send it across the left leg for a gentle spinal twist. Turn your gaze to the right. Hold for five to 10 breaths and switch sides.
#9 Legs Up the Wall
This yoga posture stretches the hamstrings, relieves lower back tension and can help reduce any swelling or cramps that may have built up from sitting or standing for extended periods. Sit with one hip next to a wall. Swing your legs up parallel to the wall as you lean back and rest your upper body on the ground, forming an L shape.
If your hamstrings are tight, scoot your hips back a few inches from the wall or put a slight bend in your knees. For added support, you can also place a folded blanket or bolster beneath your low back. This will lift your butt off the ground slightly.
Take your right index finger to your nose and gently close the right nostril. Take five to 10 slow breaths in and out through just the left nostril, which lowers blood pressure, body temperature and anxiety. Release the hand and breathe slowly and deeply through both nostrils.
Then, press the feet into the wall, lift the hips slightly, and roll to one side. Stay on your side for a few breaths, taking your time to come out of the pose. And this yoga exercise is also recommended in pregnancies to avoid complications and healthy growth of the child.
Also Read: What Causes a Baby to Stop Growing in the Womb in Pregnancy?
#10 Box Breathing
This powerful relaxation technique can help clear the mind and unwind the body — Navy SEALs have reportedly been known to use it when their bodies are in fight-or-flight mode. Climb into bed, lie on your back and rest your hands on your belly.
Close your eyes and inhale through your nose for a count of four. Hold the inhale for four. Exhale fully to the count of four, making sure all of the air is out of your lungs. Stay empty of breath for a count of four.
Also Read: How to Check Your Fitness Level and Health at Home: 4 Steps
Repeat the process for three to five minutes. It can be helpful to visualize drawing the perimeter of a square; imagine travelling up one side of the box on the inhale, across one side as you hold the inhale, down the other side of the box on the exhale and across the other side as you hold the exhale.
Also Read: Yoga Poses to Cure Migraine: Yoga Exercises to Heal Migraine
I think, improving your sleep quality naturally is a better option to avoid other kinds of diseases that arise due to taking pills regularly or for a longer time.
Also Read: Why You Should Sleep On Your Left Side: 5 Reasons & Benefits
Hence, do some work out at home and stay fit and I’m sure if your body is exhausted due to physical activities you will definitely get a sound sleep. And doing yoga regularly is also beneficial for your health.
