Why Yoga Helps You Have A More Restful Sleep

Ready to snoozzze more soundly? With constant technological advances and daytime stressors that affect your body, it must be hard for you to cling to the bed and sleep peacefully in an instant. While it should only take five to 20 minutes to fall asleep after laying down, most of us don't get the quality of sleep we deserve! We often experience waking up every now and then throughout our rest, disrupting us from sleeping longer. Losing sleep or having a restless one doesn't just make you feel exhausted in the morning but can also affect your thinking, mental health, and physical health daily.

But worry no more! A national survey mentioned in Harvard Health Publishing found that over 55% of people who did yoga found that it helped them get better sleep, and over 85% said it helped them reduce stress. 

If you are curious as to why yoga can help you have a restful night's sleep, here are the reasons why you must try it:

Promotes relaxation

Yoga is a gentle and restorative act that is a combination of physical postures, breathing techniques, and meditation. The process helps you have a calmer state and relax because yoga poses are gentler than other physical activities, yet it still gives the benefits of stimulating your mind or body.

Increases melatonin

Yoga is an act of mindfulness. This evokes a relaxation response in the mind and body that boosts melatonin levels, a hormone that helps you sleep. For people who sleep lightly or have limited time to sleep (especially at a certain age!), waking up refreshed from a quality sleep is a way to get through the day! Otherwise, you will just feel more exhausted.

Reduces stress

Having a routine to look forward to makes us feel productive and happy! The relaxation response that yoga brings can also help ease many stress-related ailments, such as depression, anxiety, pain, and high blood pressure, as well as reduce the stress hormone cortisol. Not to mention that it positively affects weight maintenance and weight loss!

Sometimes, all we just need is time to pamper ourselves! And yoga can just be another way to release the tension we feel inside. Practicing yoga instead of excessive exposure to gadgets means less time subjected to brain-stimulating blue light, which is also another factor of disrupted sleep. And who wants that?!

Getting sleep every night is different from having a restful night of sleep. Try doing some yoga and you'll surely know the difference!