Written by Dr. Sanjana V.B Bhms,dbrm,cdn

Founder & medical director of siahmsr wellness.in

All rights reserved with siahmsr digital healthcare[siahmsr wellness]

Reviewed by SIAHMSR medical team.

Yoga for sleeplessness

     Insomnia is a common sleep disorder with difficulty in falling asleep and maintaining good quality of sleep. There are various causes for insomnia.
 Short-term insomnia may be transient and may be caused by stress or changes in your lifestyle. Most often addressing the exciting causes along with some home remedies may help you get good sleep. However, the problem of  sleeplessness of recent origin also may have various physical causes such as infectious fevers [covid, dengue etc.], jetlag or shift work, lack of physical activity , stress etc.

   If sleeplessness last for a few days or weeks it is called as chronic insomnia. Some mental and physical illnesses, hormonal imbalances, obesity, diabetes, depression and heart diseases may cause sleeplessness. To call it as chronic sleeplessness, one should be sleepless for 3 or more nights a week, lasting more than 3 months, and it cannot be fully explained by another health problem.
   Insomnia or sleeplessness may cause daytime sleepiness, anxiety, irritability and lethargy or weakness. Insomnia can affect your memory and concentration. Sleeplessness can enhance your risk of high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
  In the management of insomnia or sleeplessness addressing the real cause is of primary importance. Yoga also helps in achieving sound uninterrupted and refreshing sleep for all age groups.

Some recommended yoga poses for better sleep 

·       Padangusthasana     Big Toe Pose
This yoga pose is a standing forward fold and an inversion. With the feet hip distance wide, the practicing person bends at the waist to grab hold of their toes. The grip enables a deep forward fold and a great stretch for the legs and spine.
Instructions
·       Begin standing with the feet hip distance wide.
·       Exhale and bend forward from the hips.
·       Grab hold of the big toes with the thumbs and first two fingers. Keep the legs straight.
·       With each exhalation, bring the head closer to the knees.
·       Breathe while holding the pose.
Cautions
Bend the knees if you have back pain. This yoga helps to reduce depression and sleeplessness and it provides numerous other physical health benefits to limb and back muscles.

·       Balasana    Baby Pose

Balasana is a resting pose for calming your body and mind relieving the physical strain and mental stress on your body. It is one of the best yoga poses to improve flexibility of your back and limb muscles. Although it is a simple pose , practice this step by step after achieving flexibility in movement to back, legs and shoulders.
How to practice balasana
•  First adopt table pose with your knees and palms resting on the ground .Now exhale and lower the hips and back to the heels and touch your forehead to the floor. You may keep the knees together or slightly apart in this pose.
•  Your forehead is touching the floor while your arms can be overhead with the palms on the floor. Relax the shoulders, jaw, and eyes.
The palms or fists can be stacked under the forehead, or the arms can be kept by the side of your body with the palms up.
•  Breathe slowly and deeply in this pose pressing the belly against the thighs.
•  Stay in this pose from 30 seconds to a few minutes according to your practice and experience.
•  Exhale   gently and come to starting position.
Practice this yoga only under the guidance of a trainer.
Practice yoga in empty stomach.
Before practicing this yoga do some warm up exercises or simple yoga steps to improve flexibility in movements.
Contra indications
•        Do not practice this yoga if neck, back and shoulder injury persists.
•        Avoid doing it if you have any ailment to knee and heels.
•        Do not practice it in case of acute painful  disc herniation.
•        Avoid during pregnancy
•        Avoid practicing this yoga if you are severely ill.

·       Shavasana    Corpse Pose

    Savasana is a yogasana practiced since ancient times. The earliest mention of this pose is in the 15th century Hatha Yoga Pradipika,  a classic fifteenth-century Sanskrit manual on haṭha yoga, written by Svatmarama. The name Savasana is derived from Sanskrit word Śava, which means "corpse" and Asana, which means "posture" or "seat.
Savasana is the most common pose for the practice of yoga nidra meditation, and is an important pose in Restorative Yoga. Yoga nidra is a state of consciousness between waking and sleeping, typically induced by a guided meditation.
Savasana is performed lying down on the back with the legs spread wide apart and arms resting on both the sides of the body, and the eyes closed. This yoga asana is typically practiced for 5–10 minutes at the end of an asana practice. Sometimes it can be extended for more time.
 The asana is released by slow breathing and flexing the fingers and toes slowly and gently reaching the arms above the head, stretching the whole body, and exhaling while bringing the knees to the chest and rolling over to the side in a fetal position, drawing the head in the right arm.
Health benefits
 Corpse Pose can help to destress like pranayama. This yogasana helps to manage stress by activating the parasympathetic nervous system and deactivating the sympathetic nervous system.
· Savasana can lower or regulate your blood pressure  also.
· It helps to relieve muscular tensions by relaxing the body as a whole.
·  Savasana is believed to stimulate the muladhara (root) chakra, according to yoga texts. It brings about the inner stillness and stability. It stabilizes your mind and body,
·  Savasana helps to increase energy and productivity.
·  It has great role in calming your nervous system and therefore improving memory, focus and concentration. Now modern science agrees with the fact that adequate rest and calmness to brain is necessary as in sleep hours for repair the damages from oxidative stress. Yoga and relaxation provides such a state stimulating the self- repairing potential of neurons of brain.
· Savasana reduces stress, headache, and fatigue of brain.
· Insomnia or sleeplessness is cured by doing savasana regularly.
How to do savasana or corpse pose?
Lie flat on your back with your legs spread wide apart and your arms by the body with the palms facing up.
Keep your eyes closed and start breathing deeply and slowly through the nostrils while your body is relaxed.
Start now focusing your attention on each part of your body, from head to feet consciously relaxing it before proceeding downwards from top.
Remain in this pose for 3 and 5 minutes or longer breathing slowly in and out and keep on focusing your mind as described earlier.
 If you feel sleepy while practicing savasana begin to breath a bit faster and deeper. 
Initially the beginners of yoga practice may do this savasana for at least 3-5 minutes. 
Return to this yoga pose periodically after doing yoga pose

·       Baddhakonasana     Butterfly Pose

  Baddha konasana is a Sanskrit word  derived from Baddha meaning "bound", Kona meaning "angle",and asana meaning "posture". It is commonly known as the Butterfly Pose as the movement of the legs in this yoga pose, resembles a butterfly flapping its wings.
How to do butterfly pose?
1.     Sit on the floor with the legs together and extended straight out in front. Maintain your spine or back straight, shoulders and head straight. Keep the hands, palms down, flat on top of the thighs then inhale deeply. 
2. Exhale and bend the knees drawing the feet toward the torso. 
3. Keep the soles of the feet together; clasp the hands over the feet interlocking the fingers. Keep the feet closer and placing the heels should be close to the perineum or genital area. The outer or lateral part of feet and small toe of each foot should touch the floor.  
4. Lower the knees to the floor and keep the back straight. Use the elbows to press down on the thighs if necessary to bring the calves and knees to the floor. Continue breathing gently through the nostrils.  
5. Release the posture and sit with the legs extended out and hands on the thighs.
Hold the posture for a few seconds to two minutes depending on your practice and level of comfort. Repeat two or three times.
This yoga practice has potential to destress and improve sleep , reproductive health etc.
Contraindications
Pregnancy
Disc herniation or prolapse with pain.
 
References 

1.    https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/02/health/yoga-stress-insomnia-wellness/index.html
2.    https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/insomnia#:~:text=Insomnia%20is%20a%20common%20sleep,feel%20sleepy%20during%20the%20day.
3.    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1744388120311257
4.        https://www.yogapedia.com/definition/6582/savasana
5.      https://www.artofliving.org/in-en/yoga/yoga-poses/savasana-corpse-pose
6.     https://www.yogajournal.com/poses/corpse-pose-2/
7.    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatha_Yoga_Pradipika
8.    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1360859207000058
9.        https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10874346/
10.                       https://www.artofliving.org/in-en/yoga/yoga-poses/badhakonasana-butterfly-pose