Yoga Before Bed: How Does Bedtime Yoga Affect Your Sleep? 

Did you know you could stretch out your insomnia? Well, almost. Important studies conducted by the National Centre for Complementary and Integrative Health have found that more than 55% of people who have given bedtime yoga a go have actually experienced an increase in their quality of sleep. So, what is bedtime yoga, where and when should you do it, and exactly how is it inducing its participants into sweet, sweet REM?

The History Of Yoga

A question many of us would like to know is when exactly did yoga start protecting humans from painful night-time tossing and turning? Unfortunately, as much as people all over the world and even throughout history would like to give their sincere thanks to the founders (and sleep savers) of yoga, its precise origins are lost in slumber - so to speak.

Due to yoga initially being passed around via word of mouth, we don’t know for sure where its birthplace is. But however foggy yoga’s origins may be, it’s benefits certainly aren’t a dream (unless you want them to be).

How Does Bedtime Yoga Improve Sleep?

The answer to this question is three scientific words – The Parasympathetic Nervous System. When engaging in deep breathing (diaphragmatic breathing), our bodies undergo something called Parasympathetic Response – the opposite of the well known “fight or flight response”.

During Parasympathetic Response, our bodies are elevated from the often debilitating physical and mental “fight or flight” responses which include:

• Increased heart and blood pressure
• Increased levels of the hormone adrenaline
• Comprised memory
• Physical trembling – involuntary loss of bladder control
• Supressed digestion

Once these sleep depriving symptoms subside, your body is then given the opportunity to relax – allowing you a shot at sleep.

Bedtime Yoga Poses

Here are our three favourite bedtime yoga poses:

1.    “Seated Shoulder and Neck Release”

Body researchers state that a core reason as to why many people experience sleep-stopping tension in their shoulders and neck is due to feelings of stress.

To aid this, EkhartYoga suggests that you: 

1.    Position yourself fin a comfortable spot

2.    Relax your jaw (to avoid teeth clenching/grinding)

3.    Place both arms behind your back and hold your hands together

4.    Gently move your conjoined arms from side to side while slowly rolling your neck

2.    Waterfall

According to the relaxation gurus Calmmoment, to get the most out of this tranquilising trick, you should:

1.    Lie down on your back

2.    Lift and extend your hips in the air ensuring that your back is long.

3.    Position your knees up by your chest

4.    Stretch your legs, ensuring they’re at a 90-degree angle to the rest of your body.

5.    Stretch your arms out to your sides

6.    Close your eyes and breathe deeply for 10-15 breaths.

3.    “Reclining Bound Angle (Supta Baddha Konasana)”

For our third and final favourite Sleep Yoga position, Brett Larkin instructs for us to :

1.    Lie down

2.    Bend your knees, propping your feet downwards, close to your tailbone.

3.    Bring together the soles of your feet and place your knees separate from each other

4.    Insert comfy cushions beneath your knees on both sides to support your hips.

5.    Relax your arms and hold your palms facing the ceiling.

The Best Place For Bedtime Yoga

As the dreamy effects of your bedtime yoga start to kick in, you’re going to want to be readily stationed in your designated sleep spot. This is because any additional movement or travel after your evening mediation will counteract the relaxing effects that the yoga has had on your body and mind, which will begin to remove you from your sleep- like state. It’s equally as imperative not to hinder the effects of the yoga by using technology or taking long naps right before or after your yoga session.

However, the ultimate and deciding factor on how much sleep you’ll be getting after doing yoga is the actual quality of your bed. Yoga for bedtime can help send you to sleep, but it won’t keep you there. After you drift off, it’s your mattress that is then given significant control over how peaceful the next 7-9 hours of your night are really going to be. This is why the ideal time and place for yoga bedtime is 10-30 minutes before you intend to sleep, and on a highly comfortable mattress which has been designed for your specific sleep requirements.

Will your mattress be your next yoga mat too?