Three Simple Practices for Better Sleep

Sleep is that golden chain that ties health and our bodies together.  ~ Thomas Dekker

Do you ever have trouble sleeping?  I know I do!  If I’ve had a busy day, or my days seemed filled with “busy-ness,” it can take a while for my brain to calm down enough for sleep.  And often I’ll wake up several times during the night – and feel like I’m in a brain fog for the whole next day.


As you well know if you’ve been deprived of sleep (has any one of us not?), sleep is vital to feel well.  There are enough good reasons to get a good night’s sleep that you might wish you had a better plan for getting one!
Here are a few benefits of a good sleep (usually this means more than 6 hours a night)

1. Improves memory and learning ability
2. Clearer thinking
3. Sharpens attention and lowers hyperactivity
4. Better mood
5. More stamina
6. Stronger immunity – lowers inflammation
7. Better weight control
8. Lowers risk of injury and accidents
9. Lowers stress and risk of stress-related diseases

If you find yourself sometimes longing for a good night’s sleep, here are a few simple practices you can try. 

1. Practise Tratak (Concentrated Gazing).  This subtle practice helps to balance the pineal gland, which secretes melatonin, the hormone that controls our sleep and wake cycles.  For a detailed description of this practice, see Your Yoga Tip, Tratak.
2. Visualize Alternate Nostril Breathing.  This ancient practice is thought to harmonize the two hemispheres of the brain.  Research has shown that it activates the “rest, digest and heal” part of the central nervous system and reduces blood pressure. When I’m lying awake in bed at 1 am, I find this a wonderfully calming practice for the mind.  For a detailed description of this practice, see Your Yoga Tip, ANB. 
3. Practise Meditation, Restorative Yoga and Yoga Nidra (Yogic Sleep).  All of these practices have been found to have similar benefits to good sleep.  By practising any of these for just 10-15 minutes a day, you can help your body and brain to gain the benefits of a good night’s sleep. 

And now, I'd love to hear from you.  Have you tried any of these practices?  Do they help?  Do you have any sleep practices that help you get a good night's sleep? 

Please leave a comment in the box below!