Struggling to sleep? Turn to THIS Yoga technique

In this modern time and age, sleep has become a luxury. Amidst the whole rat race, people tend to put sleep on the back burner. Sleep deprivation is linked to an increased risk of chronic health problems like heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity, among others. But what if a simple technique could solve the problem? Yes, a guided yoga practice could not only improve sleep quality but also enhance memory and cognitive performance.

According to a pilot study published in the journal PLOS ONE, just two weeks of practicing a certain yoga technique for 20 minutes a day was linked to deeper sleep and better brain function.

What is yoga nidra

Yoga nidra, aka yogic sleep, is a kind of mindfulness training that shows promise in improving sleep, cognition, learning, and memory. It is a relaxation technique that is part of the yogic tradition, specifically a form of tantric relaxation. It is a guided practice that induces a deep state of conscious relaxation. One can lie down and practise this technique. The goal is to move into a deep state of conscious awareness sleep, which is a deeper state of relaxation with awareness. One could experience the transition through stages of wakefulness, dreaming, and deep rest.

Yoga nidra for sleep

A study led by Karuna Datta of the Armed Forces Medical College in India looked into the effects of yoga nidra on sleep. Using objective tools such as polysomnography to measure changes in sleep patterns, the participants were guided through yoga nidra using a pre-recorded 20-minute audio session each day. After two weeks, results showed a significant increase in delta-wave activity during deep sleep, a key indicator of restorative rest.

Distinct from other active forms of yoga, which focus on physical postures, breathing, and muscle control, yoga nidra guides people into a state of conscious relaxation while they are lying down. This technique is also reported to improve sleep and cognitive ability.

The polysomnography measures brain activity to determine how long each sleep stage lasts and how frequently each stage occurs. After two weeks of yoga nidra, the researchers observed that participants experienced significantly increased sleep efficiency and percentage of delta-waves in deep sleep. Interestingly, the participants also had faster responses in all cognitive tests with no loss in accuracy and faster and more accurate responses in tasks including tests of working memory, abstraction, fear and anger recognition, and spatial learning and memory tasks. All these add to the previous studies that linked delta-wave sleep to improved sleep quality as well as better attention and memory.
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“Yoga nidra practice improves sleep and makes brain processing faster. Accuracy also increased, especially with learning and memory-related tasks,” the authors said.

Next time you have trouble sleeping or focusing, try the low-cost and effective technique - yoga nidra.