Sleep Like a Baby: How to reduce your stress for a good night’s sleep
How to Feel Less Stressed at Bedtime
One in 5 Americans is sleep deprived. If that includes you, are you aware of the impacts it has on your health? In a recent Discover article, researchers suggested that lack of sleep (along with stress and loneliness) can weaken your immune system and thereby may make you more susceptible to diseases, including COVID-19. According to Healthline, research also shows that poor sleep has immediate negative effects on your hormones, exercise performance, and brain function. It can also cause weight gain and increase disease risk in both adults and children. For older adults, the risks include increased risk of accidents and falls. In contrast, good sleep can help you eat less, exercise better, and be healthier. So let’s look at simple but effective changes you can start making today to start a routine of bedtime relaxation and ultimately regular, restorative sleep.
What are 10 Tips to Improve the Quality of Your Sleep?
So what are some proven tips to get that great night’s sleep? Explore what the experts say and see what works for you. As you consider each tip, check in with yourself and see if you are doing the opposite. This may be an insight as to why you’re not getting enough sleep or why you’re getting poor sleep. Empower yourself to create a bedtime routine that works for you and allow yourself to adjust it as needed.
Stick to a sleep schedule, waking up and going to bed at around the same time, even on weekends and days off
Get some exercise every day
Your room should be dark; consider blackout shades if you’re very sensitive to light
Keep your room cool - set your thermostat a few degrees lower before going to bed
Keep electronics out of the room; if you have to have your phone in the room as your alarm put it on night mode before going to bed
Have your last meal 2-3 hours before bedtime
Don’t drink anything for 3 hours before going to bed so that you can sleep through the night and not have to get up to go to the bathroom
Stop using your devices 1-2 hours before going to bed
Journal for 15 minutes
Practice the simple yoga poses, specific for relaxation, listed below
Create a sleep-inducing bedroom
Your environment has an impact on your well-being. So it makes sense to think about how your bedroom can affect your ability to have a great night’s sleep. Forbes interviewed Terry Cralle, a certified Clinical Sleep Educator and certified in Clinical Sleep Health on how to design a sleep-inducing bedroom. Here are her top tips:
remove all clutter from the room
Remove or at least hide electronics
Choose relaxing colors for your walls. She recommends cool colors like light blue, gray, silver, green, and lavender as well as neutral shades.
Sleep on a good mattress that is big enough for you and whomever you share a bed with (including pets)
Consider a ceiling fan to provide cool air and white noise.
Keep in sync with your body's natural sleep-wake cycle
Sleeping in alignment will help you stay alert. If your sleep schedule remains consistent, you can feel refreshed more easily than when your sleep schedule is different for different periods. Try to sleep and wake up every day. This allows for setting your body's internal clocks as well as optimizing your sleep. Pick a time to sleep when your body usually feels tired to avoid throwing a coin. When you have a good amount of time for sleep it's normal to wake up without alarms.
Stick to a sleep schedule
Give yourself 8 hours of rest. A healthy adult requires 6-7 hours of rest each night. Generally, a patient can sleep for up to 8 hours. You should sleep every night, even on weekends. Constantly promoting the sleep-wakiness system helps the body to stay asleep. If you can sleep for 20 minutes then take a bath. Listen to calming songs. Put your bed down after you have exhausted yourself. Continue as necessary but keep your sleeping schedule and wakeup period intact.
Is Yoga Good Before Bed?
As I shared in my blog, An Introduction to Yoga for Stress Relief, Your nervous system is composed of your sympathetic and your parasympathetic system. Yoga impacts the sympathetic nervous system (aka “fight or flight” instinct) by focusing you on the present moment. It also brings greater balance to the overall nervous system by strengthening the parasympathetic nervous system (aka “rest and digest”) so that you are less reactive. That said, taking a high-energy hot or vinyasa flow yoga class in the evening may not be the best choice to help you wind down for bedtime. I suggest saving those classes for earlier in the day. For evening classes, consider Yoga Nidra or Restorative Yoga will help you relax. At bedtime, you can practice 3 yoga poses yourself that are designed to bring relaxation and promote sleep.
Yoga Poses for Sleep
With the goal of getting restorative sleep, try these simple poses to get a great night’s sleep. They are designed to not stimulate your body or mind, which are essential to getting restorative sleep. Practice each yoga pose for a few minutes with long deep breaths.
Corpse Pose
As the name implies, there is no movement for this pose. It is about bringing stillness and relaxation to your entire body. Come lying down on the floor or your bed. Allow your legs to separate slightly and relax your feet to the side. Relax your arms at your side, slightly away from your body. Palms are up and hands are relaxed. Slide your shoulder blades together for support. Then allow your entire body to relax and sink into the floor or bed.
Legs Up Wall
Legs up wall is a simple and effective posture that increases blood circulation and so is a refreshing experience for the body and mind. As a result, this yoga pose has been proven to promote relaxation, as well as decrease anxiety.
Lie in bed or on the floor facing a wall with your seat 5-6 inches from the wall. Lift your legs up onto the wall. Be sure to elongate the neck slightly and place a rolled towel under your neck if support is needed. Adjust your distance as needed. Then allow yourself to sink into the yoga pose. It is recommended to hold the pose for 5-10 minutes. To come out of the leg up wall pose, bring your knees into your chest and then roll to the side. Don’t twist out of the pose.
Baby Pose
Next time you have trouble sleeping, apply this yoga pose with long deep breaths. It can help you sleep like a baby - peacefully and through the night. With each exhale, allow yourself to sink more deeply into the posture letting go of stress and tension in the body. Also known as child’s pose, baby pose has also been shown to bring calm to the brain. This posture is not recommended for those with knee injuries or who are pregnant. Ready to practice this pose together? Click on the video below.
Add a Breathing Technique to Your Bedtime Routine
As I shared in my blog, Pranayam: Controlling Your Life-force, Prolong Your Life, Pranayam is a controlled form of breathwork. Benefits include:
Calms the mind;
Reduces anxiety;
Increases focus
Boosts the immune system;
Alternate Nostril Breath
To help you get a great night’s sleep, try the simple but effective alternate nostril breathing technique. Left nostril breathing is associated with the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest). It is connected with lowering blood pressure and reducing anxiety. It also shifts blood flow to the right side of the prefrontal cortex, which is critical for decision-making.
Sit up nice and straight. If you are in your office chair, be sure that both feet are planted firmly on the ground. Rest your left hand on your left leg or knee. Exhale completely. Using your right thumb, close your right nostril and inhale long and deeply through your left nostril. Then cover the left nostril with a bent right pointer finger and exhale long and deeply. Continue inhaling through the left nostril and exhaling through the right for 3 minutes. Cooling energy comes in through the left nostril (and warming energy through the right). This technique emphasizes only cooling energy coming into the body. Focusing on your breath also makes you more present. It’s an easy and effective technique to clear the mind and support a good night’s sleep.
Improve Rest with Kundalini Yoga
Want to dip your toes into Kundalini Yoga or tune up your practice? Monique has taught hundreds with her compassionate student-centered style.
About SoundWellness
Monique Derfuss is the founder and President of SoundWellness offering gong sound therapy, Reiki, Kundalini Yoga, and meditation. Her wellness business is based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and has helped thousands of people over the past 6+ years move beyond only taking care of their physical bodies to taking a more holistic approach to their health by integrating support of their energetic, or subtle, bodies. Check out what others have said about her services.
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