Can Yoga Really Help You Sleep Better?

29 mins ago

The poses will help you drift off in no time

This post may contain affiliate links. Learn more

Winding down is often easier said than done – especially at the end of a busy day. If all other methods (a cup of tea, reading a book, counting sheep) have failed you, then it might be time to try something a little different. Yoga is said to help even the most sleep-avoidant of us relax enough to drift off. And we’ve got the intel on which yoga poses are best to try at home (from your bed, no less).

How Does Yoga Impact Our Sleep?

Yoga is one of the few forms of exercise that promotes relaxation – as well as physical and mental health. It essentially helps the mind and body ‘shut off’ through a series of stretches and slow movements, activating the parasympathetic nervous system (which controls the body’s ability to relax). This makes yoga an ideal routine to try before bedtime, especially if you’re having some trouble sleeping.

‘Adopting a quick bedtime routine of yoga poses and breathing exercises can help you relieve tension in the body, improve blood flow to your brain and increase oxygen uptake that can make you feel relaxed and drowsy ready for a good night’s sleep,’ notes Active Careers personal trainer and yoga instructor Luke Hughes, in conversation with Bensons for Beds.

It’s also an exercise that doesn’t require any special equipment – in fact, you can even do your bedtime yoga routine from your bed. Simply throw on your cosiest pyjamas and start stretching.

@_know_yoga_ Yoga poses to help you sleep 😴 A super easy 4 minute bedtime yoga routine ✨ These poses are great to incorporate into a bedtime routine to help you wind down and relax 👌 Few other things that can help for a restful night sleep: ▪️switch light display on your phone to night mode a few hours before bed ▪️drink chamomile tea before bed ▪️read a few chapters of a book in bed #yogaforsleep #yogaforbeginners #beginneryoga #bedtimeyogaflow #yogainbed #yogatohelpyousleep #yogaposes #yogaflow #functionalyoga ♬ original sound – Know Yoga with Jess

7 Yoga Poses To Help With Sleep

While most yoga poses are designed to help calm and relax the person doing them, these ones are supposed to be especially good to try in the lead up to sleep. Enjoy!

1. Child’s Pose

One of the most recognisable yoga movements, child’s pose helps stretch the spine and, in doing so, relax the nervous system.

How To Do It: Kneel and sit with your knees slightly apart, then lean forward with your arms in front of you on the floor. Rest your forehead on your arms. Inhale and exhale for at least eight breaths.

2. Legs Up Against The Wall

Another pose designed to help calm the mind and body, this inversion is also said to improve circulation.

How To Do It: Lie on your back with your legs elevated against a wall. You can do this for anywhere between five and 10 minutes.

3. Reclined Butterfly

This movement opens the hips and helps release tension in the lower body. If you need extra support, you can place a few cushions under your knees.

How To Do It: Bring the soles of your feet together and let your knees fall open in the shape of a diamond. Bring your arms up overhead and take hold of opposite elbows. Hold the pose while breathing deeply for a few minutes.

4. Corpse Pose

This pose works across the whole body, activating the parasympathetic nervous system to promote deep rest.

How To Do It: Lie flat on your back with arms at your sides. Keep your eyes closed and focus on slow, deep breathing.

5. Seated Forward Bend

A seated forward bend stretches your entire back body, including the calf muscles, hamstrings, adductors of your inner thighs and the muscles along the spine. Many say this pose has a grounding effect, and brings a sense of calm when teamed up with deep breathing.

How To Do It: Sit with your legs straight in front of you, flexing the feet so that your toes point to the ceiling. Hinge at the hips and lean forward, making sure to lengthen the spine rather than round your back. Walk your hands forward as comfortably as you can. Inhale, then lift and lengthen your chest slightly; exhale, and release a little more fully into the forward bend. Stay in the pose for a few minutes.

6. Cat-Cow

This is a gentle flow between arching and rounding the spine that relieves tension and promotes relaxation.

How To Do It: On all fours, keep your hands shoulder-width apart and your knees directly below your hips. Inhale deeply while curving your lower back and bringing your head up, tilting your pelvis up – this is the ‘cow’ part of the stretch. Then exhale deeply and bring your abdomen in, arching your spine and bringing your head and pelvis down into the ‘cat’ position. Perform this sequence rhythmically for about five to 10 breaths.

7. Butterfly Pose

And finally, the butterfly pose. This one is designed to help stretch tight hips and inner thighs, while helping relax the rest of the body.

How To Do It: Sit upright with your feet together and knees dropping outward. Try to sit up as straight as you can. Hold your feet with both hands and gently move your knees up and down like butterfly wings.

Can Yoga Really Help You Sleep Better?