If you have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or both, you may have insomnia. This is a fairly common sleep disorder that can be acute or chronic. Often, insomnia is not a disease in itself, but a symptom of another imbalance. It’s important to find out the cause of your insomnia so you can treat it properly. Also, lifestyle changes, such as B. Starting to practice yoga regularly, can also help.
It’s not just the more common asana and meditation practices that most people are familiar with that can help with insomnia. The practice of Yoga Nidra or Yogic Sleep can be especially beneficial for insomniacs.
Insomnia causes and typical treatments
Insomnia causes and typical treatments
The cause of insomnia can be a medical condition, which can be mild or severe, that causes discomfort and therefore interferes with your sleep cycle. Some underlying conditions that can cause insomnia are:
- low back pain
- gas return
- Hyperthyroidism
- nasal or sinus allergies
- arthritis
- asthma
- Parkinson’s Disease
Mental disorders can also cause insomnia. Depression and anxiety are two common psychiatric diagnoses, and insomnia is one symptom.
In addition, some of the medications used to treat these physical and mental health conditions can also cause discomfort and imbalance, which can lead to insomnia.
An unhealthy lifestyle can trigger insomnia without an underlying problem, or exacerbate insomnia caused by an existing medical or psychiatric condition.
Some behaviors that can make insomnia worse include:
- nap during the day
- work from home at night
- Get a good night’s sleep to make up for “lost” sleep time
- Don’t work traditional hours
- drink alcoholic beverages
- drinking coffee or other caffeinated beverages
- eat a big meal before bed
- using your phone or laptop in bed
All of these activities disrupt the body’s normal sleep cycle and can lead to insomnia. But according to the National Sleep Foundation, insomnia is treatable, and there are a variety of options depending on what’s causing it.
Over-the-counter medications, behavioral therapy, stimulus control, cognitive therapy, and relaxation training are just some of the suggestions for managing insomnia symptoms.
Benefits of Yoga Nidra for Insomnia
Yoga Nidra, or Yogic Sleep, is a type of yoga that has been found to be most effective for insomniacs. It promotes deep relaxation on a mental and emotional level, and just 30 minutes of yoga relaxation practice is said to be equivalent to four hours of normal sleep.
What is Yoga Nidra? How is it different from regular yoga and meditation?
What is Yoga Nidra? How is it different from regular yoga and meditation?
Unlike yoga asana classes, yoga relaxation practices are practiced by lying down with your eyes closed and listening to guided exercises that involve body awareness, visualization, and focusing on solutions or intentions. The practice also includes breathing techniques and other exercises to shift you from left to right brain and into theta brainwave states that promote learning, deep meditation, and allow you to better regulate your emotions.
Yoga Nidra helps you stay relaxed and awake at the same time. Students reported that even if they were tired, they would not fall asleep if they lay down with their eyes closed. Those who were alert at the start of a Yoga Nidra session said the 30-minute guided session helped them feel rested and rejuvenated. The restorative state that Yoga Nidra promotes in the body helps to heal and improve overall physical and mental health.
Rest strengthens the body’s immune and metabolic systems, which increases energy and makes mental health more balanced, which can help relieve insomnia, anxiety and stress.
How to Start a Yoga Nidra Practice
How to Start a Yoga Nidra Practice
You need a mat or thin pillow to lie on and practice Yoga Nidra. If you can’t take a live class with your teacher, it can also be beneficial to record the teacher walking you through a few specific steps in the class. Alternatively, you can roll up a second mat and place it between your shoulders to support your upper back and head, allowing the gentle curve of your spine when you lie down.
Teachers and the scripts they create are important in a Yoga Nidra session because they can guide you into a sleep state without actually falling asleep. Yoga Nidra teachers are trained to take you from the alpha brainwave state to theta, beta, and delta at various points in the classroom.
Each brainwave state has different effects on the mind and body.
Beta – Alerts and alerts. Lots of brain activity.
Alpha – Close your eyes. Serotonin is released, calming you down. Slower, quieter brain activity.
Theta – meditative state. There are also brain waves when the body is in the stage of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep – dreaming. Thoughts slow down and integration of learning occurs. Emotional release also occurs in this state.
Delta – the most relaxing and peaceful state. Organs and body systems regenerate through stress and cortisol levels drop or break down.
“Under the Delta”
– While not everyone who takes a yoga relaxation class achieves this state, a yoga relaxation experience is one of the few that can take you into a deeper state where the mind should come to a complete stop.