Good sleep is what we all crave for, and failing to get good sleep is probably a common problem amongst all of us. As soon we face difficulties to fall asleep fast, we start scrolling our newsfeeds or exploring Netflix that worsen the problem. That’s pretty relatable, right?

Right now, 7 out of 10 people have this problem, and their casual approach is the reason behind the deterioration of their health. Lack of sleep at night makes them look dull and tired throughout the day. And how can we forget the unnecessary mood swings and anxiety? All these are the natural outcome of lack of sleep – specifically insomnia.

So, if you are dealing with insomnia, you should stop treating it casually. It’s high time to show your concern before it is too late. On a serious note, you can try Yoga – it can actually help you to sleep to have a healthy life.

What is Insomnia?

Good sleep is a result of a healthy lifestyle. So, it is pretty obvious that our lifestyle mistakes are greatly responsible for insomnia, especially among teenagers and adults. However, there can be medical issues like asthma, migraine, sinus, and lots of others, but our daily habits, stress, work pressure, and of course addiction to mobile often lead to insomnia too.

Apart from health issues, two types of insomniacs are found: The first type used to sleep late to study or to do some urgent work previously, and now they can’t sleep before that time. These people do not get sufficient sleep because of the hurry of waking up on a specific time.

The second type starts thinking as soon they go to their beds, and during this, they start watching a movie or scrolling on social media. When they are done with that, sleep is almost gone.

How Can You Get Better Sleep?

It really does not matter which type of insomniac you are as the lack of sleep is common in both. So disappointing and hopeless! But before you lose all your hopes and before you start depending on the un-prescribed sleeping pills, you can try Yoga at least once.

Yes, Yoga! It is probably the most neglected exercise because of the myth that it takes too much time, but the reality is it can give you permanent relief from insomnia.

8 Best Yoga Workouts for Better Sleep

You will need to spend only 15 minutes every day and that too before going to bed. Neither you will need to go to the gym, nor will you need any equipment for performing these yoga workouts.

Are you worried about pain? Well, these exercises will not be the painful ones; rather, your muscles will feel relaxed. A 15-minute Yoga session will reduce the stress level, which will lead to better sleep.

If you are still in doubt with the benefits of Yoga, you can check this survey results, which confirm that Yoga can reduce stress and give comfortable sleep. So, gear up and start doing 15 minutes of bedtime Yoga. Have a look at the details:

1. Legs up the Wall Pose

For this, you will need to lie on your back and first lift your right leg and then the left one. Let your legs relax on the wall. Stretch your feet towards the wall and bring it back to its original position. Now, extend your arms on the sides and keep your palms up. Close your eyes (you can use eye cushion), take a long breath and exhale slowly. Hold this position for 2 minutes.

You will feel the comfort right then if you have to stand for a long time. Your legs will be stress-free, and Lactic acid from your legs will be drained after doing this. Also, your lower back will get much comfort. You can take a blanket below the lower back and a pillow below your head to do this Yoga in a better way.

2. Child’s Pose

It is another pose which can make you feel very comfortable and relaxed. For this pose, you will need to kneel on the floor. Keep your toes together at the time of kneeling. Now, slowly try to separate your knees as wide you can but do not pressurize to widen your knees.

Now, exhale and bend your upper body towards the floor and ensure that your belly touches the thighs. Rest your arms on the front side. Keep your shoulders relaxed and try to touch the ground with your forehead. It will take a few days to do it properly, but you do not need to pressurize. Try to hold this pose for a couple of minutes. If you are uncomfortable, you can try 30-45 seconds.

Once you can touch the floor with your forehead, try to swing your hands the back, keeping palms up.

Avoid this if you have injuries in the hip or knees. You can roll your head from left to right and then reverse to feel the comfort.

3. Standing Forward Bend

Extend your feet to hip’s length or a bit wider.  Now bend your knees slightly and twist the upper body across your legs. Try to touch the floor (don’t pressurize) with hands. Hold this for 2 minutes. Inhale and exhale slowly while doing this.

Don’t worry if you are unable to touch your legs with the torso. It will take time, so you will not need to force your upper by stretching it towards the legs. Always try to bend as much you can do comfortably.

It will stretch your back muscles, and reduce the stress from your spine. As a result, the blood supply gets improved. Your neck and shoulders will be relaxed too. You will see the pressure to get released from your knees, hamstrings, and thighs. If you have a back injury, you can skip this.

4. Cat Stretch

Right after doing Standing Forward Bend, take a break of 30 seconds and then move on to Cat Stretch. It is also called cat and cow pose. For cat pose, kneel on the ground and extend your feet on the floor. Now bend your upper body and touch the floor with your arms extending them to your shoulder length. Pull your shoulder blade apart and try to create an arch from your head to the tailbone. Exhale while doing this, and at the time of inhaling, you have to do the cow pose. For cow pose, try to do a reverse arch from your head to the hips keeping arms and legs at the same position and continue this for 2 minutes.

In order to skip your spine flexible and strong, this exercise works very well. It can improve your blood circulation. Also, it helps in your digestion so that no digestion issue occurs at the time of sleeping.

5. Seated Forward Fold

Sit on your hips; you can use a pillow or blanket if you have low back or hamstring problems. Now you will need to extend your legs in front of you. Stretch in and out your feet a few times, but keep your spine firm at the time of doing this.

Now raise your hand and breathe in. Now, slowly bend your upper body and try to touch your toes with hands. Exhale as you reach the toes but slowly. Make sure your arms are spread over your thighs, knees, shins, and toes.

Well, it is a bit difficult exercise, and you don’t need to force your hand to reach your toes on the first day. Keep it in mind that the target is to reduce pain and stress from your back and hips not to reduce fat from the lower abdomen. So, you don’t need to hurry.

On the first day, try to hold this pose for 10 seconds (not more than that) and gradually, increase this time to 1 minute. On the initial days, you may have some difficulties; you may use a pillow above the thighs at that time.

It helps to stretch your legs to reduce stress from them. Also, it will help your back to relax. As stress from the back will be gone, you will be able to acquire better sleep by choosing a comfortable sleeping position.

6. Reclining Bound Angle Pose

For this one, you will need to lie down and bend your knees, keeping your feet on the ground. Try to bring your feet close towards your tailbone. Now, put the soles together and extend your knees apart. Keep your arms relaxed on the sides keeping palms towards the ceiling. Try to touch the ground with the knees but without any pressure. It may take 10-15 days for that. Inhale and exhale at a slow pace and hold this pose for 2 minutes.

You will be able to feel the stretch once you can do it properly. In order to reduce tension from groin and hip areas, this exercise is an unbeatable one. Your thighs and joints will be free from the stress with this exercise. Also, your shoulders will feel calm and relaxed.

7. Thread the Needle Pose

Start with kneeling, and you are free to use a blanket if you want. Lift your back and stretch your left arm on the right side, and your right arm will touch the ground above your head. Look towards the left hand and breathe in. Hold this for 10 seconds and breathe out slowly while bringing the left arm on the left side and the right one on the right side. Now, try on the other side. Do the cycle five times initially and increase it to 10 counts later.

It will help to stretch your upper portion of the back and reduce stress from your shoulders and neck. It will loosen the hamstring stress as well, which will allow you to have a comfortable sleep. If you have problems at the time of standing after sitting for a long time, it will be reduced by doing this.

8. Corpse Pose

End this session with this one to have a complete cycle. All sorts of Yoga exercises generally end with this one. Here you will allow your breathe-pace to come back to normal. You can do it on your bed as well. Keep your body relaxed and lie down comfortably. Rest your arms and shoulders. Keep your feet apart in a comfortable position and rest your back.

The goal of this exercise is to remove all the stiffness from your body and muscles.

If you are having trouble to sleep, these eight yoga poses will surely help you by reducing your stress to have a stress-free sleep. For more bedtime exercises to cure insomnia, feel free to consult the best gym in Kolkata. If you are dealing with insomnia for a long time, it will take time, but the results of Yoga will shock you. You will gradually love doing this for sure. Also remember that doing bedtime Yoga along with a healthy diet, a few morning exercises like running or swimming will be much appreciated to beat insomnia. Well, consulting a doctor for insomnia is never a bad idea, and if you think your doctor will prescribe sleeping pills, you are wrong. If you are having serious problems, do consult a doctor but keep doing Yoga for more effective results.