Effects of Yoga on Improving Sleep Quality

In a survey, 37% of the UK’s population stated that they regularly don’t clock up enough time in the Land of Nod, which is a staggering number to comprehend. Enduring a lack of sleep alone can force the release of a chemical in your brain that leads to Alzheimer’s disease. In physical terms, that’s seen as being as bad as the health risks from smoking cigarettes! The UK economy loses an eye-watering £40 billion each year, solely due to people missing work and under-performing as a result of fatigue.  Photo by Marion Michele on Unsplash

Enter the savior. Yoga provides us with a thorough workout, while also giving us a natural mindfulness activity to relieve stress. It is practiced by many to combat the potential of experiencing low-quality sleep. Therefore, if you’re willing to avoid being one of the two-thirds of people in the country who struggle with bad sleep and stress, you should take a look at the wonderful benefits yoga will bring to your life.

Quality of sleep

Sarah Cummings from The Sleep Advisor website promotes the fact that by introducing yoga into your daily routine, it will not just aid your ability to drift off at night, the quality of sleep you experience will improve too.

Researchers have previously discovered that by practicing yoga, you can look forward to enjoying an improvement in a range of aspects with your sleep, including;

• The length of time it took to fall asleep
• Waking up fewer times during the night
• The duration of time between waking
• The total hours of sleep accrued each evening

Bodily rejuvenation

Yoga is on hand to help rid the body of toxins that can become stored in your organs and tissues, while also helping oxygen circulation (great for replenishing the body!). Thanks to the breathing techniques of yoga practice.

Stress and anxiety alleviation

Stress and anxiety have detrimental effects on a person’s mental states, they can also interfere physically too. Your sleep, immune system and digestion can become affected, which is something you want to avoid.

Indulge in yoga and the body’s natural stress responses kick in. There are more positives changes that come from this response, as it reduces the heart rate, lowers the blood pressure and eases respiration.

Nervous system relaxation

Our central nervous system consists of the spinal cord and the brain. It’s accountable for responding to sensory stimulation. At the point of falling asleep, your hormone levels change in your brain, causing your central nervous system to go into a state of unconsciousness as part of your sleep cycle.  

Yoga helps with this because it can increase your blood flow reaching the central sleep centre in the brain, while also stimulating glands that release sleep-assisting hormones.

Supporting a bedtime routine

You can find many studies that advocate the benefits of a regular bedtime routine. As opposed to reaching for your smart devices at night, which will prevent you from sleeping, do something to calm yourself such as reading a book. This will aid with tension relief and relax you as you move into sleep mode for the night.

An inner calm and peacefulness

Yoga offers an efficient sense of inner calm, peace and tranquillity. By adopting a mix of yoga poses, which are regularly held for a prolonged amount of time, your body has time to relax and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere you’ve created. This is conducive to falling asleep without difficulty. Yoga has the potential to prepare you both mentally and physically for a sound night’s sleep, making it an ideal way to wind down following a hectic and demanding day.

Author’s Bio

Hi! My name’s Sarah Cummings. I’ve been involved in writing informative and helpful guides for the last five years now. Originally, my passion to help others was the overriding factor to become a writer, but now I feel like I’m learning more every day too!

My love of exercise has always been a big part of how I lead my life, and I find it helps with lots of things, including sleep. I’m an advocator of promoting sleep and how it can be the difference between living a good, fulfilled life and an unhappy one.

I have had the good fortune to have a long and spiritual background in yoga too, and I feel as though this pairs perfectly with my passion for healthy eating and leading an active lifestyle.

I enjoy learning and coming up with new ways to develop my writing so that I can help others to grow and learn too. When I have a spare morning, you can catch me gazing at sunrises from different places on the planet!