Everybody who suffers from some kind of sleep deprivation, such as insomnia, already know how much more stressful life can be because of it. In fact, in the UK alone, over 37% of people believe they don’t get enough sleep.
This usually means the individuals have to resort to caffeine-based beverages throughout the day which we all know can be bad for your health. What’s more, the actual scientific damages that sleep deprivation can cause are shocking.
The Dangers
It’s been proven that when the brain is deprived of sleep, the synapses, the gaps in your brain that carry your neural signals around, are actually ‘eaten’ by other brain cells. Additionally, sleep deprivation also forces the brain to release chemicals that can lead to Alzheimer’s disease and has been renowned for being as bad as smoking can be for the body.
Not surprisingly, the economy also suffers. Relating back the UK, the economy suffers an incredible £40 billion a year due to people missing work or being exhausted while at work.
As you can see, it’s a very common problem, one that yoga can help alleviate. Here are the five benefits that yoga can have on reducing the effects of sleep deprivation.
Reviving Your Body & Mind
Yoga can help revive the body in two key ways. Firstly, hand in hand with the chemicals comment in the introduction, yoga can help to reduce the chemicals and toxins that build up in your body. This is done as yoga is a form of exercise, enabling you to focus on your breathing and therefore oxygenating your body.
Secondly, if you were practising a short yoga session before bed, followed by a short session on mediation, this is the perfect way to set yourself up for a great night’s sleep.
Reduce Stress & Anxiety
This is one of the most common benefits that yoga provides and one of the most common reasons why people suffer from sleep deprivation. One study shows that over 70% of people suffering from sleep deprivation also suffer from stress or anxiety, or both.
Through yoga, you can proactively reduce the amount of stress in your mind and body by lowering your heart rate, lowering your heart rate and controlling your breathing.
Developing a Night Habit
If the last thing you do before going to bed is to sit watching things on your iPad or checking your social media feeds on your smartphone, this is a sure fire way to mess up your sleeping pattern. This is because the ‘blue light’ (wavelength) from screens messes with our brains.
In fact, it actively causes the brain to release cortisol, the stress hormone because the mind thinks that it’s daytime. Doing yoga before bed, as well as meditating cuts off the time between bedtime and screen time, helping you to sleep better during the night.
Calming Your Mind & Body
Of course, ask anyone who has practised yoga, and they’ll tell you all about just how peaceful and calmer it is. So, it goes without saying that being in this frame of mind before bed will massively help with your sleeping.
As a rule of thumb, aim for practices where you hold the poses for long periods of time so you can help your body to relax. You can even listen to calming music to help calm your mind down.
Improving Your Sleep Quality
If you were to practice yoga regularly, not only are you going to enhance your ability to fall asleep in the first place, you’ll also be able to improve the actual quality of your sleep.
One study set out to test this found that a group of people who suffered from insomnia were given a basic yoga session over the course of eight weeks daily. The study found that these people not only found it easier to fall asleep but also reduce the times they woke up during the night and increased the overall length of sleep time.
As you can see, yoga is hugely beneficial when it comes to sleep, so why not give it a go and let us know how you got on!