Get a Better Night’s Sleep: Yoga and Mindfulness Techniques to Help You Rest

Written by: Michele Lyman, RYT-500

I don’t know about you, but occasionally I go through periods of time where I don't sleep well or at all. Sometimes it’s just one or two nights and other times it can be much more.  And when this happens, I am a crank-pot.  I’m less productive, I’m quick to snap at family and friends and I generally just feel more anxious about most of life’s worries.  We all know how important it is to get a good night’s sleep, but we don’t always know what to do when we can’t seem to make it happen.  And although I’m not a sleep expert, I have figured out a few tools to help me sleep better when these restless nights occur.  And I want the same for you! Today I’m sharing my favorite yoga, mindfulness and general tips and tricks to help you get a better night’s sleep in order to improve your overall health. 

General Best Practices for Better Sleep

Below are some general simple tips to help you get a better night’s sleep.

1. Keep in sync with your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle.  This is one of the most important ways you can improve your sleep.  Keeping a regular sleep-wake cycle will help you feel more refreshed and energized than if you sleep the same amount of hours at different times.  

   • Try to go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day.  Doing this will help set your internal body clock.  Go to bed when you feel sleepy and if you are sleeping enough, you might wake up naturally without an alarm.  If you still need that alarm, try going to bed a bit earlier. 

   • Avoid sleeping in - on the weekends or when you experience a rough night’s sleep.  Keeping the same sleep cycle during will help you avoid the groggy, fog-like feelings you can experience when you shift your sleep cycle.  If you need to catch up on your sleep, try taking an afternoon nap instead. 

   • Be smart about napping.  I love me a good nap!  I just try to be smart about it. Try not to sleep too late in the afternoon and only sleep for 10-20 minutes to avoid tossing and turning at night.   

2. Keep your bedroom cool - about 65 degrees.  Sleep usually begins when your core body temperature drops, so a cooler room will encourage you to fall asleep faster.

3. Limit Alcohol and Caffeine.  Alcohol is considered a sedative, but that does not mean it is sleep inducing.  Alcohol actually blocks your ability to experience REM sleep, which is the level of sleep you need for your body to rejuvenate and get ready for the next day.  Without REM, you might wake up feeling  groggy and tired. Caffeine can actually stimulate the brain, making it hard to fall asleep.  You might want to avoid caffeine anytime after 1pm.  

Helpful Transitions for A Good Night’s Sleep  

Here are a few things you can do before you get ready for bed to set yourself up for a good night’s rest.

1. Turn off your cell phone 1-2 hours before bed. Yeah, this one is hard.  But the blue light of the screen disrupts your natural sleep cycle because it suppresses your body's release of melatonin, which is a hormone that makes you feel drowsy.

2. Turn off the TV 1-2 hours before bed.  Yeah, another hard one.  But necessary.  Not only is the blue light disruptive, but most TV shows are stimulating, which can rev up your nervous system, making it hard to fall asleep.  

3. Make your room dark.  I used to sleep with a few lights on because it made me feel “safer”.  But, I really think it also kept me up!  I find I sleep better when my room is completely dark - including light from the windows or electronics in my bedroom.  

4. Eat bigger meals earlier.  Personally, when I eat a big meal too close to bedtime, I have a hard time sleeping because my body is too busy digesting. Try to eat your last big meal at least 2-3 hours before bedtime.  

Helpful External Tips and Techniques

Sometimes we can all use a little help from external sources to get a better night’s sleep.  Here are a few ideas to consider. 

1. Listen to audio.  There are so many great audio tracks and apps available that can help you fall asleep.  Here are a few suggestions.

   • Calm App. Along with specific sleep meditation tracks, Calm also offers bedtime stories from Matthew McConaughey - YES PLEASE! - and other famous celebrities with amazing voices to help soothe you off to sleep.  

   • Headspace App. Headspace is an amazing meditation app that has an entire module of meditation offerings dedicated to better sleep. Worth a listen for sure.  

   • Sleep-related podcasts. There are specific podcasts available where the reader tells you a story that is completely disjointed on purpose to help you fall asleep.  One minute the listener is learning about red barns and the next they are swept away to learning about ocean animals.  This one comes with a warning though - if you tend to be someone that likes to follow a story and not just let the words wash over you, you might find that this option keeps you awake!  One of my dear friends falls asleep every night to these disjointed stories while her husband lays there wondering what happened to the red barn!

2. Gravity blanket.  Gravity blankets are filled with sand and are 15-25 pounds in weight.  You choose the weight based on a percentage of your own body weight. The weight of the blanket doesn’t allow for a lot of physical movement, which means your mind may move less as well.  Personally, I love my gravity blanket - it makes me feel like I’m being held which is very comforting.  They can take a little getting used to, but may be worth the investment.  

3. Get out of bed if you wake up in the middle of the night.  Many of us tend to wake up and then lay there thinking about how terrible our next day will be because of the lack of sleep we’re getting.  Instead, get out of bed, keep the lights dim, and do something quietly.  Then, try to get back to bed when you feel the slightest urge to fall asleep.  

4. Body Scan Meditation.  This is my #1 go to option when I can’t sleep.  This meditation brings your awareness to the present moment by using your own body as the anchor.  Starting from the head and moving your way down to the feet, bring your awareness to your major muscle groups and soften and relax into those areas. This will reduce tension and stress in your body and slow down your nervous system. 
   
   And, the best part is that even if you don’t fall back to sleep, you may actually find yourself refreshed in the morning!  During a body scan, you aren’t thinking about whatever is bothering you or spending time worrying about what a terrible day you’re going to have due to lack of sleep.  You are focused on the present moment, which can be very freeing.

5. You're not alone.  Sometimes just reminding yourself that you are not the only one struggling to fall asleep can be helpful. Other people feel the same way you do and you might even find yourself sending well wishes to those people, and yourself, as you try to drift off to sleep.  

Six Yoga Poses To Help You Sleep

Practicing yoga before bed is also a great way to loosen tension in your body, slow down your nervous system and bring your mind to the present moment.  The following six postures will help you ground and calm before drifting off to sleep.  

Child’s Pose.  Come to hands and knees.  Bring your big toes to touch and your knees out wide. Slide your hips back and settle your head to the floor or a block or blanket.  Reach your arms out in front or bring them by your sides.  Breathe deeply into your low belly and low back.  Stay here for 5-10 rounds of breath.   

Forward Fold.  From a seated position, send both legs out in front and gently hinge forward from your hips.  You can rest your head on a bolster, pillow or blanket for a more restorative option, or simply let your shoulders round. Breathe into the back body and let your body surrender forward with each exhale.  Stay there for 5-10 breaths.  

One Legged Forward Fold. From a seated position, bring the sole of your left foot to the inner thigh of your right leg. Fold forward over your right leg and breathe into the back body.  Feel free to use a strap around the right foot (as shown). You can rest your head on a bolster, pillow or blanket for a more restorative option, or simply let your shoulders round.  Surrender with each exhale as you take 5-10 breaths. Switch sides.   

Knee Down Twist.  From your back, draw your right leg into your chest and hold it with your left hand. Send your right arm out to the side at shoulder height.  With an exhale gently draw your right leg over to the left and gaze up or over to the right.  Breathe into your low back and outer hip area.  Stay here for 5 breaths and switch sides.  

Supported Fish Pose.  This is my favorite before bed pose!  Bring one block to the middle height parallel to your spine in between your shoulder blades, and a second block at the highest level under your head.  Rest your arms by your side and breathe into your ribs and upper chest.  Your legs can be straight out in front, knees bent with your feet on the floor or the soles of your feet together with knees out to the side. 

Although a slightly energetically uplifting posture, this pose is a great way to open your heart and chest - allowing the muscles to balance from all the activities of the day and to feel grateful for all that your body did for you during the day.  Breathe for as long as you’d like in this restorative posture.  

Legs Up The Wall Pose.  This pose has been deemed one of the most relaxing postures in yoga.  Find an open wall space and sit with your hips as close to the base of the wall as is comfortable.  Swing your legs up the wall and lie back.  You can rest in this position anywhere from 10 breaths to 10 minutes.  

So there you have it!  Although this is not a complete list of all options for a better night’s sleep, I do hope you find some of these tips helpful!