by Nina

All of us insomniacs are familiar with the terrible moment in the middle of the night or very early morning when we realize we’re wide awake and the possibility of returning to sleep feels hopeless. However, the worst thing you can do is lie there and worry about not falling back to sleep, because that just makes you more stressed out, which in turn actually prevents you from falling back to sleep. Instead I suggest taking a moment to practice acceptance. Many things can cause us to wake up in the middle of the night, so of course you should check with your doctor if your insomnia is unrelenting because it could be a symptom of some illness or disorder. But if you’re otherwise healthy and your insomnia is due to common nighttime disturbances, such as going through stressful times (you’re on the alert so you wake up regularly to check for “danger”), nightmares, and hot flashes, start by taking a moment to tell yourself you’re okay. Insomnia when you’re stressed is normal, nightmares are normal, and hot flashes are normal. Just that feeling of acceptance can calm you down a bit and reduce your suffering.

Then it is a good time to return to the same practices for “quieting the mind” practices that I recommended in Better Sleep Tips, Part 2: Putting Yourself to Sleep to help you ease back into sleep: breath awareness, calming breath practices, meditation, guided or self-guided relaxation. Although it takes some discipline to focus on these practices (for some reason, worrying seems like the easiest and most productive thing to do in the middle of the night), many people, including me, find that ten to twenty minutes of practice allows us to fall back to sleep. Sometimes it takes longer than that, I admit, but, at the very least, practicing yoga in bed gives you something more positive to do while you’re awake than simply stressing out. Both meditation and yogic breath practices have many other benefits besides quieting your mind, and practicing guided or self-guided relaxation as often as possible also programs your body to ease into relaxation.

Some sleep experts say that if you can’t fall asleep within 20 minutes, you should get out of bed and do something else. So if it seems right to you, you could return to some winding down practices as I described in Better Sleep Tips, Part 1: Winding Down Before Bed. The idea behind this “sleep hygiene” recommendation is that you program your body-mind not to do anything in bed other than sleep. But, honestly I personally feel it’s not a good idea to get out of bed unless it is absolutely necessary. Once you start moving around and turning on lights, you’ll be even more stimulated than you already were and who knows how long it will be before you feel sleepy enough to try falling asleep again.

So, instead, you could try practicing yoga poses in your be—in the dark. Although I myself don’t practice this way, I’ve heard from other people that they find doing yoga poses very helpful in the middle of the night. So if you’re feeling too restless to lie still, I have some suggestions today for poses you can do in bed, without turning on the lights. Of course, if getting out of bed and practicing relaxing yoga poses as described in Better Sleep Tips, Part 1: Winding Down Before works for you, you should continue to do that.

Poses You Can Do in Bed

The only props you need for these poses are extra pillows. So if you want to try practicing these, gather up some extra pillows and keep them next to the bed when you go to sleep.

I suggest using a mental focus while practicing these poses. Using a mental focus is important because the quieting effects of the poses will be enhanced if you can stop worrying so much about falling back to sleep. Your mind may wander as you practice, but when you repeatedly bring your mind back to your mental focus for the pose, you’re sending your nervous system a message that you’re in safe circumstances now and it’s time to relax. I’m making suggestions for which mental focus to use in which poses, but of course if you prefer to use something else, please use whatever you like.

Supported Bridge Pose. A very relaxing pose you can practice in bed is a low version of Supported Bridge pose. This pose may be especially helpful because the gentle in-version naturally triggers the relaxation response due to your baroreflex (a mechanism in your body that helps regulate your blood pressure), so you don’t need to focus on anything to make that happen. To practice, simply take the pillow out from under your head and lie on your back with your knees bent. Lift your pelvis up and place the pillow underneath your buttocks (but not under your lower back). If you wish, you can combine this with breath awareness or a mantra to quiet your mind as you relax. Try to stay in the position for at least ten minutes to give the baroreflex time to take effect and allow yourself to experience the full benefits of conscious relaxation.

Supported Child’s Pose. If you find Supported Child’s pose comforting, you can use two bed pillows to support your torso. Take your arms forward and hug the pillows or stack your hands on the top of the pillows to support your forehead, then slightly tug your forehead skin down toward your nose. Then bring your awareness to the back of your body and sense how your breath creates movement there, or practice any other form of breath awareness. Try to stay at least three minutes. If your head is turned to one side in the pose, switch to the other side when you’re about halfway through.

Reclined Cobbler’s Pose or Reclined Crossed-Legs Pose. Some people find these are is the most relaxing restorative poses of all. To practice in bed, use one or two bed pillows to support your head and torso (but not your pelvis). If you are practicing Reclined Cobbler’s pose and have two extra pillows, put one under each thigh. Bring your awareness to your belly and observe how your breath causes it to rise and fall, or practice any other form of breath awareness. Try to stay at least three minutes.

Supported Seated Forward Bends. Not everyone finds seated forward bends quieting—and for some they are a struggle—but if you do like them, you can try practicing either with your legs straight or in crossed-legs position (whichever is more comfortable and allows a deeper forward bend). Simply place one or two pillows on top of your straight legs or in front of your crossed legs. Then lengthen your spine forward and rest your arms and forehead on the pillow, then slightly tug your forehead skin down toward your nose. Bring your awareness to the back of your body and sense how your breath creates movement there, or practice any other form of breath awareness. Try to stay at least three minutes.

You can find the rest of this series on yoga for better sleep at Better Sleep Tips, Part 1: Winding Down Before Bed, Better Sleep Tips, Part 2: Putting Yourself to Sleep, and Better Sleep Tips, Part 4: Day to Night.

 

 

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