A Two-Dose Prescription for Better Sleep
I think it’s safe to say that the first week of Daylight Saving Time isn’t too fun for most of us. You may just be having a hard time getting up in the morning, but for some of us, trying to fall asleep ‘earlier’ is the biggest challenge. Well, whether your difficulty falling asleep is DST-related or a chronic issue, here are a couple of proven tricks that might help when the standard ‘no tech, morning sunlight, limit caffeine’ advice just isn’t cutting it. One is a stretch, the other a breathing exercise. Use them together or alone, and see if they help you get to sleep faster and stay asleep longer. The best part? Both can be practiced in bed, making it easier to slip right into sleep if you find them to be effective.
Supta Padangusthasana I
Lie on your back, with your right leg extended* and head unsupported (unless there is significant neck discomfort, in which case a thin pillow or folded blanket placed underneath the head may be helpful).
Press the back of the right knee down and flex at the ankle so the muscles of the right leg are active. Wrap a yoga strap around the ball of your left foot and extend your left leg up toward the ceiling. Hold one end of the strap in each hand. (Try to find a hand placement that allows the back of the shoulders to stay in contact with the floor/bed while the arms are straight. This way, gravity is assisting your upper back muscles in keeping the strap taut and the risk of adding tension to the neck, arms or shoulders is reduced.)
Tighten the quadriceps of both legs. Actively press the left leg away from the body as the belt pulls the foot toward you. This push/pull action will serve to keep the pelvis in a stable position.
Once you have done all of the above, scan for unnecessary tension in the body and release it, keeping the breath steady and diaphragmatic. After anywhere from 30 to 60 seconds, release the left leg and repeat all of the above steps on the other side.
Strap-free option: If you do not have or wish to use a strap or belt, you may instead wrap both hands around the back of the left thigh, below the knee, and follow all the other instructions listed above.
*If you cannot straighten the left leg fully, keep the right knee bent and the right foot flat on the bed to make the posture more accessible.
Breathing Practice
Anuloma Viloma (I and II)
Important! Before trying this breathing exercise, make sure you can comfortably practice diaphragmatic breathing. People with sleep apnea or other respiratory issues should proceed with caution or under supervision. These exercises should not be practiced at all during episodes of acute asthma, bronchitis, or upper respiratory infections.
These breathing exercises activate the parasympathetic nervous system response, priming our bodies for rest. Part of the challenge in adjusting to DST lies in the circadian rhythm of our autonomic nervous system. Our body gets used to activating the sympathetic branch and parasympathetic branches of the ANS on a certain schedule; one that is aligned to light exposure, among other stimuli. The change in clocks asks us to disrupt that pattern, changing our sleep/wake pattern without adjusting all of the activating stimuli along with them. While we can change the times we eat, work, and exercise, the same daylight pattern persists despite the time change, and therefore no longer aligns with our newly adjusted sleep/wake schedule. Exercises like these can help to encourage our ANS to shift into parasympathetic response earlier, and if done repeatedly, can help the ANS realign to the new schedule over time.
Practice one or both of the exercises below when you get into bed, either on their own, or after Supta Padangusthasana.
Version I
Take in a full breath, expanding both abdomen and chest. Exhale by contracting the abdomen while keeping the chest expanded. Rest for a moment with the air expelled, then slowly inhale to around one-quarter of a full breath. Pause here for a moment.
Slowly breathe in another quarter of air, so you are at about half of a full breath.
Pause here. Breathe in another quarter, reaching three-quarters full. Pause.
Finally, fill your lungs up completely. Pause for a moment at the top of the full inhale, then slowly exhale all the way to empty.
Now take one to three normal breaths.
When you are ready, repeat the full process again, filling the lungs a quarter of the way at a time.
Exhale completely, and again take one to three normal breaths.
Then repeat the process a third time.
Move on to version II.
Version II
Take in a full breath, expanding both abdomen and chest.
Slowly and smoothly exhale one quarter of the breath you just inhaled. Pause.
Exhale again, until you have about half of the breath remaining. Pause.
Exhale another quarter. Pause.
Exhale and release any remaining air, and then take one to three normal breaths.
Repeat the process two more times, taking one to three normal breaths after each time.
Tips
The instructions above break the extended inhales/exhales into 4 parts. If this feels difficult, try breaking up into thirds instead. Simply focus on making sure the pace is smooth and steady, and that you are able to pause between each partial inhale (version I) and/or partial exhale (version II). If 4 exhales feels easy, you can break it down farther, into 5 or more parts, or extend the length of your hold times
While the two versions work well when stacked together, some of us may feel uncomfortable restricting our breath in certain patterns. For example, holding your inhale may feel comfortable, while holding your exhale may feel activating rather than relaxing. The opposite can also be true. If you find that one of the versions above does not serve the intended purpose here- that of boosting relaxation- I encourage you to only practice the version you feel comfortable with, perhaps revisiting the other at a later date to see if your response has changed.
Still not sleepy after three rounds of each exercise? You can continue this breathing exercise for longer than three rounds. Some may practice for as long as twenty minutes. Over time, you should find that you feel the effects sooner and are able to fall asleep more quickly.
If you find that your mind is wandering a lot while practicing, it may feel helpful to repeat a mantra or affirmation to yourself. Something simple, like the word sequence ‘peace, calm, well,’ can keep your mind from ruminating without activating too much thinking. The words you choose don’t need to relate directly to sleep- I encourage you to choose any combination of words that fit your desired state(s) of being. However once you choose, try using the same word sequence, or the same phrases, each night, to introduce a consistent pattern on which your mind can anchor.
I hope you find these exercises helpful. I learned them from one of my mentors, Dr. Loren Fishman, and while they don’t work for everyone, many have benefitted greatly.
Happy Practicing!