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Insomnia is generally considered a symptom rather than an illness by itself. More than 30 million Americans suffer from long-term and chronic insomnia. (1) Statistics say that America doses itself with a shockingly large quantity of sleeping pills every day, supporting the existence of a $2 billion a -year industry. Not only has the number of adults popping pills to sleep increased two fold between 2000 and 2004, but there has also been an increase of 85% in the children above the age of ten years taking sleeping pills in the same period.
Insomnia patterns differ in two ways; you either have difficulty in falling asleep or have difficulty in staying asleep, with broken sleep patterns. Either way, you don't get a sufficient quantity of sleep, and it can be a devastating experience, upsetting your body rhythm in several ways. Lack of adequate sleep does not merely result in tiredness but quite beyond that. People suffering from insomnia often wake up not refreshed enough from the poor quality of sleep they get. They also end up being unproductive, irritable, and show considerable stress symptoms too. What needs to be remembered here is that each person has his or her own sleep pattern and the number of hours of sleep that one may need cannot be standardized. Unless the reason is a diagnosed medical condition, medicines or sedatives may make you dependent for life and then result in the necessity for stronger doses too. (2)
Yoga is a centuries old method developed in India and still practiced successfully without any side effects; insomnia from non-medical conditions can be cured by the practice of yoga. Yoga promotes a slowing down of the body and thereby lulls the senses into a phase of rest, and into deep sleep. Yoga not only induces sleep but the sleep that results is of a superior quality in itself; the result is that continuous yoga practice can even raise the productive waking hours. (4)
Yoga nidra or Savasana (the corpse pose) is the best known yogic pose for treating insomnia. Gentle and non-tiring, it is ideal for an end-of-the day routine and relaxes the body and mind completely without the fantastic body postures that generally makes a layman reluctant to try yoga. In a nut shell, the Savasa part by part relaxation of the body, controlling breath, and a sleeping pose. Nidra means sleep in Sanskrit, the ancient Indian language, and sava is corpse. This asana can be performed singly for long periods. Yoga nidra relieves muscle tension and calms the mind and emotions, thereby leading to deeper and better sleep. It prevents insomnia by stimulating the nerves and brain and increasing blood circulation to the brain, which normalizes the sleep cycle. The increased oxygen intake due to the deep breathing techniques can make the mind clear and calm. (4)
Yoga experts generally ask insomnia patients to do Savasana when they finish the activities for the day and can settle down to sleep. The rules of yoga necessitate that any asana should be performed when the stomach is not heavy with food. Yoga asanas should be performed regularly and in a clean and well ventilated place. It is also necessary to be silent during yoga to preserve and channelize energy. Tight fitting dresses are not recommended. (4)
The Yoga Nidra or Savasana (4)
Lie down on your back on a comfortable surface, medium hard, without using a pillow. Let the body be straight and loosen the muscles slowly. Let your breathing come to normal. Keep your eyes closed. Now follow the following instructions in a measured and slow manner.
Open your eyes for two seconds and look upward, then downward, then straight. Look towards the left, then the right, and then straight again. Now close your eyes. Repeat two to three times.
Open your mouth wide without straining and fold your tongue towards your throat then close your mouth. Keep the position for ten seconds. Now open your mouth and bring the tongue back to position and close your mouth. Repeat slowly two to three times.
Keeping your eyes closed, think about your toes and slowly relax the part. Now move the attention to the other parts of the body, slowly moving towards the head. Slightly turn your head towards the sides and rest your head comfortably. Your body is now relaxed.
Now it is the turn of the mind. Think about a peaceful, quiet, beautiful place that you love to be at. It can be a riverside, a beach, a park, or any place that has a calm ambience. Think you are there physically and you are breathing the clean fresh air of the environment there. While you think, start taking long and deep breaths, exhale and inhale and your stomach should go upward while inhaling and downward while you exhale. Make about ten rounds of this breathing cycle of one inhalation and one exhalation. By the time you finish the tenth round, all the while keeping your mind at the scenic location, you will have relaxed your mind completely. Keep your position for ten to fifteen minutes, then very slowly stretch yourself completely and assume a seating position. This is the Savasana.
A currently concluded study by the National Center for Alternative and Complementary Medicine attempts to evaluate the effectiveness of a daily, 8-week treatment for insomnia using yoga, relaxation exercises or sleep hygiene. This study, held from April 2001 to December 2006, had an enrollment of 48 young and healthy people who were currently not using sleep medications to control insomnia. Although the study itself has not let out the full results, it is anticipated that yoga practice will prove to be an effective treatment for insomnia which will yield significant improvements in sleep onset latency. It is also anticipated that these improvements will be maintained at long-term follow up evaluation. (3)
1. http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/i/insomnia/stats-country.htm
2. http://www.healthy.net/scr/Article.asp?Id=2041 4. Dr. Phulgenda Sinha, Yogic Cure for Common Diseases (Orient Paperbacks 19th edition) Copyright 2007 rVeda, Inc.
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