Dawn by Marc Chagall
by Nina
We all know how differently we feel after a good night’s sleep versus a bad one. After a good night’s sleep, we generally start out in the morning with a feeling of wellbeing, ready to take on the day. But after a bad night’s sleep, many of us start out in the morning already feeling both exhausted and stressed out, maybe even wondering how we’re going to get through whatever it is we need to accomplish that day. The thing is, though, that getting a good night’s sleep is not just a matter of how we feel in the morning. Ram Rao, who is a neuroscientist as well as a yoga teacher and doctor of Ayurveda, has written more than one post for us over the years emphasizing that sleep is essential for both good physical and mental health. As he wrote in Sleep: A Pillar of Life , there are six primary reasons to take active steps to improve your sleep:
- Sleep helps the brain sustain and preserve new information to memory; people who have a good sleep after learning a task do better on tests later
- Sleep deficits contribute to accidents, falls, and traffic mishaps
- Sleep deprivation triggers emotional disturbances
- Sleep disorders can be a cause of hypertension and irregular heartbeat
- Sleep deprivation lowers immunity making the individual more susceptible to degenerative diseases or infections
- Sleep deprivation triggers weight gain
Over the years, we’ve identified even more reasons, including preventing Alzheimer’s disease. That’s why this overview of all the articles we have on better sleep includes posts about the science of sleep so you can learn more about why it is so important for physical and mental health in the section “Understanding Sleep and Insomnia” as well as our various articles on how to use yoga to improve your sleep in the section “Improving Your Sleep With Yoga”.
P.S. Barrie Risman and I are planning a Yoga for Better Sleep Workshop for this fall. We don’t have a date yet, but stay tuned!
Understanding Sleep and Insomnia
Science, Sleep, and Yoga by Ram discusses why good sleep is important for physical and mental health, and provides some tips for improving sleep.
New Theory About the Purpose of Sleep (and Why It’s So Important to Get Sound Sleep) by Ram about what happens in our brains when we sleep and why it is so important.
The Importance of Good Sleep: Interrupted vs. Abbreviated Sleep by Ram presents more science behind the importance of sleep.
Sleep: A Pillar of Life by Ram presents more science behind the importance of sleep.
Why Stress and Insomnia are Closely Linked by Nina is an important article about why stress management is essential for improving your sleep.
Menopause-Based Insomnia by Nina identifies the four different types of menopause-based insomnia, each of which needs different yoga solutions.
Proof that Meditation Helps Improve Sleep by Nina discusses the relationship between meditation and better sleep.
Sleep, Alzheimer’s Disease and Yoga by Nina discusses why good sleep is important for preventing Alzheimer’s disease.
Using Yoga for Improving Your Sleep
Better Sleep Tips, Part 1: Winding Down Before Bed by Nina provides suggestions for what to do in the evening before bed so you will fall asleep more quickly and sleep more deeply.
Better Sleep Tips, Part 2: Putting Yourself to Sleep by Nina provides suggestions for what to do after you get into bed at night to fall asleep more quickly and to sleep more deeply.
Better Sleep Tips, Part 3: It’s the Middle of the Night by Nina provides suggestions for how to use yoga to get back to sleep if you wake in the middle of the night.
Better Sleep Tips, Part 4: Day to Night by Nina provides suggestions for what to do during the day to support better sleep at night
More Tips for Better Sleep from Shelly Prosko by Nina contains a free Audio-Guided Progressive Muscle Relaxation and recommends variations for sleeping in a prone position.
When You Can’t Sleep: Yoga Solutions for Insomnia by Nina provides a basic list of techniques you can use to improve your sleep.
Free Music for Yoga, Meditation, Falling Asleep (or Panicking) from Moby by Nina provides a link to get Moby’s free music for falling asleep to. Thanks, Moby!
Friday Q&A: Yoga Tricks for Better Sleep (Rerun) by Nina provides tips she learned about from one of our readers.
Ssshh! Falling Asleep the Way You Like To by Nina discusses positions to take while doing breath practices in bed for sleep.
What I’d Say to Paul (Yoga for Insomnia) by Nina is my favorite rant about sleeping pills being prescribed on a TV show. Do you ever talk to the TV the way I do?
Menopause-Based Insomnia by Nina suggestions yoga solutions for the four types of menopause-based insomnia.
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Nina, thank you so much for this blog. your outstanding articles and various contributors are so helpful to me in my practice and in my teaching. There are so many “unnecessary ” and downright silly articles and writings on the practice of meditation and yoga, it is heartening to have this site. thank you again
Lynne, thank you so much for taking the time to leave this comment. It’s very heartening to hear that the hard work we all put into the blog is appreciated by our readers. We do take our work very seriously in trying to share what we know about the benefits of yoga in a non-commercial format.