Yoga for better sleep: Enjoy bedtime yoga!

Not being able to sleep at night is a big problem for many of us. And even if we do fall asleep, bad sleep quality can impact our rest negatively. Luckily, we can use yoga to achieve sound sleep.

Let’s look at the benefits of Yoga for sleep and which poses you can practice before bed to sleep better!

Can yoga help you sleep better?

You know what happens to you when you can’t sleep or only sleep very badly? You get stressed. Your body never manages to down-regulate all your stress hormones. And being stressed, in turn, leads to worse sleep.

A vicious cycle.

Related: 10 easy Yoga poses for stress relief – Try them now!

Yoga, on the other hand, calms down your whole nervous system. We know for sure, that Yoga has calming effects both on your body and your mind. And first studies show that it can also help with chronic insomnia and improve sleep quality. It even works for pregnant women, if they start doing yoga early enough in the pregnancy.

Yoga before bed benefits

If you read any of the studies above, you’ll notice that they all talk about a regular yoga practice. No mention of when the study participants did their practice. As long as they did it regularly, the time of day didn’t matter.

But if you want to make it even more effective, you can create a bedtime yoga routine for yourself. Let’s look at the benefits of doing yoga every night before bed:

• slows down your breathing, preparing your body for rest
• calms down your mind, making it easier to let go of the day and fall asleep
• stretches directly before bed lead to more restful sleep by reducing cramps
• having a bedtime routine seems to improve sleep quality

What yoga poses help you sleep?

So now that we have all the deeds on how yoga leads to better sleep, it’s time to get practical! Which are the best bedtime yoga poses for sleep and relaxation?

5 Yoga poses to do before bed

Child’s pose

One of my favorite bedtime yoga poses is Child’s pose. There is just something incredibly calming about letting your upper body sink forward on your legs and letting your head rest on the floor, mat, or mattress.

We store a lot of stress and tension in our upper back. In Child’s pose, that area can fully relax. You’ll immediately feel the release, making this on of my favorite bedtime stretches.

Related: Yoga for upper back pain: 5 easy stretches that will bring relief

Reclined Butterfly pose

Reclined Butterfly pose should be part of any yin yoga night sequence. Not only is it super comfortable, but it is also a delicious hip opener. It stretches the inner thighs as well, helping a great deal in releasing any tensions you might be holding there.

When I do this pose in bed, I use my pillow as a bolster for my back. And then I often fall asleep in this pose. For real!

Related: I can’t do butterfly stretch – What now?

Seated forward fold

Seated forward fold stretches your hamstrings. For your bedtime yoga, you’ll want to use the yin version instead of the active, yang one.

This means, folding forward, and then resting your upper body either on your legs or something soft. For most of us, a pillow will work well! Simply sink into the pose, and let go of any tension!

You also don’t have to touch your feet, simply bend forward until to feel a little resistance and relax there.

Savasana

If there is one yoga pose in which many yogis fall asleep without even trying to, it has to be Savasana. This is the amazing pose you’ll take at the end of each yoga sequence when it’s time for the relaxation.

You lay on your back, letting your arms and legs “fall out” to the side. Palms up, feet relaxed. Be honest, you’re getting a little sleepy just imagining your body relaxing like that, aren’t you?

Legs up the wall pose

Putting your legs up the wall gently stretches the backs of the legs. And it also reverses the blood flow in your legs. This will counter swollen feet from a long day and help your lymph fluids flow better.

Inverting like this also has a stress-relieving, relaxing effect. Exactly what we want from our bedtime yoga for better sleep!

Moon salutation for better sleep

If you prefer following along with a calming yoga flow instead of creating your own yin yoga night sequence from the poses above, I have a recommendation for you.

Try out the moon salutation!

Unlike the well-known sun salutation, the moon salutation is perfect to end the day. It will stretch out your body to prepare for sleep. And it will also calm your mind.

Enjoy your yoga for sleep and relaxation!

I hope you give bedtime yoga for better sleep a try. Rest well!