Increased well-being: Another reason to try yoga

How do you feel when you wake up - refreshed and ready to go, or groggy and grumpy? As many as one in four Americans sleeps less than six hours a night, and too little sleep can leave you too tired to work efficiently, exercise, or eat well.

Over time, sleep deprivation raises the risk of chronic health problems including heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. But emerging research suggests yoga may help you fall asleep faster, sleep longer, and sleep more soundly - without the side effects of medication.

How does yoga benefit sleep?

Yoga eases the way into sleep by reducing stress, anxiety, and arousal, all known drivers of poor sleep. One small study examined a Kundalini meditation and breathing practice: 20 people with sleep trouble did the 30-minute practice every night before bed. After eight weeks, participants were sleeping 36 minutes longer on average and waking less during the night. Overall, their sleep quality improved by 11%.

Yoga and sleep for seniors

Sleep problems tend to mount with age, but a study of adults 60 and older offers good news. When researchers surveyed 35 seniors who had practiced yoga daily for at least two years, they found the yogis fell asleep 10 minutes faster, gained an extra hour of sleep, and felt more rested in the published report than seniors who did not practice yoga.

Falling asleep faster

Yoga even helps with full-blown insomnia. Common sleep-hygiene advice on its own reduces sleep problems, but in one study, people who added yoga fell asleep 37% faster after eight weeks, compared with 28% for those who received the advice alone.

Research also points to a "dose-response" effect: the more you practice yoga, the fewer sleep disturbances you are likely to have and the more restorative your sleep becomes. Even without trouble falling asleep, yoga can improve the quality of your slumber.