A large percentage of the world’s population does not know about yoga against insomnia and suffers from at least one sleep disorder. Furthermore, most people are aware of how important it is to get good rest and that this does not only consist of sleeping a certain number of hours.
It is estimated that the average time a person should sleep is around 8 hours, although this can vary from person to person, however a good rest goes much further than that because it is not just about sleeping for a certain time, but about resting with quality.
And you may wonder why it is so essential to get adequate rest, and the answer to that is that when a person is getting his or her sleep, his or her body goes into a sort of phase where it recovers and functions such as producing growth hormone or regenerating tissues are performed.
If the person does not rest well, this can have negative consequences, including a weakening of the immune system, which leads to other problems.
Therefore, if you are one of those people who have trouble sleeping at night, then most likely yoga against insomnia is your best option to solve that problem, all this just by performing yoga postures.
The main causes of insomnia
At least half the world’s population has suffered from insomnia at some point in their lives. Therefore, it is extremely important to know what the possible reasons are for the occurrence of insomnia, so that the problem can be better combated.
Psychophysiological insomnia
People usually relate the room where they sleep and the protocol before going to bed, such as putting on their sleeping clothes, brushing their teeth, etc., to sleep.
Therefore, psychophysiological insomnia consists of the opposite response to this, meaning that instead the room and bed are related to being awake. Most of the time this happens as a consequence of certain situations, for example because of the occurrence of a certain event.
Psychiatric changes
When people suffer from chronic insomnia, it is common that they present certain psychopathological alterations, such as feeling anxious or depressed, and in few occasions they present psychosis and are dependent on alcohol or psychotropic substances.
When the person is depressed, the time of sleep is shortened since they wake up before the adequate time, and this is related to the fact that the person is unable to go back to sleep after a sleep interruption; and when it is about the fact that the person is anxious, it is difficult for him/her to fall asleep.
Bad Habits
When a person has an irregular schedule for going to sleep and getting up, and also constantly modifies their habits, this causes alterations in the cycle of wakefulness and sleep, leading to a lack of predisposition to sleep at night and to feel like sleeping during the day.
In addition, the abuse of exciting substances, such as tea, coffee, soft drinks and drugs that stimulate the nervous system, also leads to insomnia. Even though alcohol can make you sleepy at first, the opposite happens and it starts to break you down.
Why does yoga help fight insomnia?
Yoga to fight insomnia is very effective to treat this condition in general, but it is more effective when the insomnia is caused by external agents, such as anxiety and stress, or by the experiences of certain situations that make the person feel nervous, such as moving, being new in a job, etc.; with yoga you can have a control over all this.
In addition, it is important to take into account that insomnia can be subject to other reasons, such as a hormonal imbalance, metabolic diseases or rheumatological pathologies.
Then, how can yoga against insomnia, sometimes when it is difficult to sleep it happens as a consequence of the nervous system being excited, and with the practice of yoga it is possible to counteract this since it is a discipline that stimulates the parasympathetic system, which is in charge of producing and restoring the body’s energy. Therefore, it is possible to reduce stress in the body.
When practicing yoga, one needs to breathe slowly and deeply, which makes the person relax on a large scale and helps to eliminate the tensions in the muscles that sometimes make it difficult to sleep.
Yoga postures to combat insomnia
Padangusthasana
Stand so that your feet are at hip level. Slowly, while maintaining control, lean your upper body forward. Then hold the thumbs of your feet with your thumbs, hearts, and forefingers.
Then bend your elbows and lower your upper body a little, lowering your head and relaxing. Stay in that position by taking deep breaths for 3 minutes.
Prasarita padottanasana
You should stand, with your feet a considerable distance apart, and both should point forward.
Bend your torso from hip height and rest on the palms of your hands on the floor and then bend your elbows.
Then bend your knees as far as possible to rest your head on the floor or on a cushion. Hold this asana for two minutes taking deep breaths.
Balasana salamba
You will have to sit down, roll up a blanket and place it between your feet, separating your knees.
Place the pillows in the middle of your thighs and lie down on top of them.
Turn your head to the side and let your torso rest on the pillows with your arms on the floor.
You should hold this position for two minutes and then do the same procedure but on the opposite side.
Agnisambhasana
Extend your right leg forward and bend it to a 90° angle to your knee.
Bend your right foot and place it above your right knee so that your left leg can rest on your right.
Then move your hands forward as you exhale, and gradually increase the stretch.
You must keep this posture for one minute and then repeat it with the opposite leg.
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