Using yoga and the breath to help insomnia

Many of my yogis come to my classes asking for any help to get rid of insomnia.

I have also experienced periods of insomnia. I find when I am not getting enough good sleep, my body holds more tension and my posture is more collapsed as I am feeling rundown. My immune system functions less optimally. My appetite increases, which leads to weight gain.

So I actively keep improving my sleep habits, and regularly weave the yoga and mindfulness practices that have helped me and others into my classes. The golden key as always seems to be the breath!

What insomnia is and its effects

How insomnia presents could be:

• difficulty getting to sleep

• waking up several times in the night

• lying awake at night

• waking up early and not being able to get back to sleep

• still feeling tired when we wake up

• finding it hard to nap during the day even though we are tired

And as we know, the effects of these can be what I described above, and also:

• feeling irritable during the day

• finding it hard to concentrate

• cognitive impairment - finding it hard to do or remember things

Look at the root cause of your insomnia

If you’re having trouble sleeping, it can mean there's something you need to pay attention to.

Chronic insomnia is usually a result of stress, life events or habits that disrupt sleep. Stress

keeps the mind active and increases the activity of the sympathetic nervous system and hypothalamus pituitary adrenal activation.

This results in fast, chesty breathing, and a decrease in gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). GABA is an amino acid that produces a calming effect on the central nervous system.

It’s a good idea to start by identifying what the root cause for your sleep issues might be.

Things that can have a negative affect on our sleep can include:

• habits such as an irregular bedtime schedule, too much napping, stimulating activities before bed, using your bed for work, looking at screens before bed.

• an uncomfortable sleep environment, including your bed, bedding, sound and light

• eating heavy meals too close to bedtime

• mental health, such as anxiety and depression

• side effects of medications

• physical conditions, including medical issues such as chronic pain, and the menopause and age

• alcohol - which might make you fall asleep quickly, but as your body processes the alcohol, you get spikes in blood sugar levels, preventing deeper sleep and causing you to wake in the night and not get back to sleep

• travel or work schedules that disrupt your circadian rhythm, for example shiftwork or international travel

Gentle yoga poses to help you sleep

To prepare for sleep and rest, it helps to do yoga poses that bring a sense of calm and stability to the body and the mind. We often practise these poses in my classes and they’re easy to do at home:

• hold the bridge pose for as long as is comfortable

• lay on your bed, sofa or floor with your legs up - they can be against a wall - for as long as is comfortable

• standing forward fold - you can also use a wall to support you doing this

• recline in cobbler's pose - where you’re lying on your back with the soles of your feet together, knees dropped open so your legs form a diamond shape

• make a child's pose with your knees wide

Yoga poses to help get through the day when you're tired

Doing some yoga practice in the morning can help you ‘mop up’ after a bad night, and in the afternoon when you might have an energy dip. It can help to better regulate our energy throughout the day and help us to rely less on crutches such as caffeine.

Yoga nidra is a powerhouse practice - 1 hour of yoga nidra is equivalent to 4 hours of sleep. It’s been seen to activate the parasympathetic nervous system. It’s similar to meditation where you become entirely physically and mentally relaxed. It can be helpful to have someone guide you through it - I often weave it into my classes and have had people nodding off on the mat!

Pranayama can energise you in periods of lethargy, as well as help relax you if you wake in the night. Translating from Sanskrit, “prana” means life energy and “yama” means control. So it’s practising regulating your breath.

You can try breaths such as the breath of fire or the “Ha” breath. To do this, breathe in and as you breathe out, make a gentle “haaa” sound.

I cover all these breathworks in my classes so I can help talk you through them.

Breathwork to help sleep

Certain types of breathwork have been proven to activate the parasympathetic nervous system in the body. This helps tell the body it’s safe and can relax.

There is a simple breath called Chandra Bhedana - this is left-nostril breathing. It’s translated as ‘one who can pierce the moon’. This breath can be done seated or lying down. If I have a bout of waking in the night, I find it helps to lie on my stomach, turning my head to the left and blocking off my right nostril, to breathe through my left nostril.

Another option is a long, slow Ujjayi exhale. To do this, gently constrict the back of the throat to support lengthening each breath cycle. Make each inhalation and exhalation long, full, deep and controlled.

A new breath to me that I have been leading my yogis through lately is the 4-7-8 ratio of breathing. To do this we:

• close the mouth and quietly inhale through the nose to a mental count of 4

• hold the breath for a count of 7

• exhale through the mouth, making a whoosh sound for a count of 8

• repeat 3 more times for a total of 4 breath cycles, or longer

  
  

Meditation and mantras to help sleep

Meditation, including mantras, can help reduce any anxiety we have around sleep.

Mantras create powerful sounds and vibrations that we can use to enter a deep state of meditation - to focus the mind and to stop it ruminating.

Think about what mantra phrase works for you and use it with your breath. You can say it out loud or in your head. Examples of mantras we try in my classes include:

• inhale, “may I be happy” exhale, “may I be well”

• inhale, “may I be joyful”, exhale, “may I be healthy”

• inhale, “may I not suffer”, exhale, “may I be at ease”

By focusing on our chosen mantra and repeating for 15 minutes, we start to feel into the subtle journey of the breath and allow the mind to rest.

Other ideas that can help sleep

Body awareness

Being in tune and listening to our bodies can help us better read our energy levels and sleep cues. This can prevent us becoming exhausted during the day, and missing the window for going to sleep at night.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a powerful tool as it allows us to accept whatever is here to be here because it is already here. This increases self-awareness and reduces psychological stress.

Asana yoga

This type of yoga - often called ‘slow flow yoga’ - helps alleviate tension from muscles and gives the body its cue to relax. It can also restore balance to the mind, improve posture and breathing. Experience it for yourself in my slow flow yoga classes.

Journalling

Writing things down can provide a form of mental digestion, allowing us to process the day

and any worries before hitting the pillow. It can also be a good idea to keep a sleep diary to notice any triggers or patterns.

Pamper yourself

One of my yogis shared with us that during periods of stress or anxiety she makes sure to have a warm bath, light aromatic candles and make her own spa experience before bed. Which I love! I’d like to add to that and say once you’re in bed, gently massage aromatic oils or cream into your feet.

Others have found that a weighted blanket and listening to relaxing music or spoken word helps them drift off into peaceful slumber.

If you have any good ways you’ve found to help you sleep too, please do share in the comments below.

Wishing you the very best night’s sleep, and I hope to see you on the mat soon!

Francesca x