Weareawareofthefactthatmanypeopleintheworlddonotget8hoursor moreofsleepanight,asrecommended.TheUSAseemstofareslightlybetter, withmostsleepingaroundsevenhours.Surprisingly,FinlandandThe Netherlandsseemtobeoutlierswhenitcomestosleeping;theyarereportedly gettingthebestqualityshut-eye.Itisclearthatworldwide,manyindividualsare notreachingoptimumlevelsofsleep-thisshouldbesomethingweworkon changing.
Theimportanceofsleepingwellcan'tbeoverstated.Ifyou'rehavingtrouble gettingtosleeporimprovingthequalityandlengthofyourdeepsleep,thereare severalthingsyoucandotodaytohaveabetternight'srest.Findouthowyoga andpranayamapracticeshelpcalmthenervoussystem,anddiscoverhow makingsimplechangescanleadtomorerestfulsleep.
Sometimesitisnotpossibletodoitonyourown,lookoutforthe best yoga classes near me andfollowthepracticeswithprofessionals.
3 Breathing exercises for better sleep
1. Count your exhalations
Focusoncountingyourexhalationsfrom5downto1,thenstartingagainat1. Whilepayingattentiontoyourbreath,ensurethatitisflowinginandoutevenly. It'snaturalforthemindtowander,butbemindfulofthisandre-focusyour attentiononmonitoringthenumberofbreathsyoutake.
2. Lengthen your exhale
Toachievearelaxedstate,trybreathingoutatalongerpacethanyourbreath. Lettheexhalelast1.5or2timesaslongastheinhale,whilegraduallyreleasing alltensenessfromyourmusclessimultaneously.Takecaretoensurethat throughoutthisprocess,youremaincomfortableanddonotoverexertyourself, otherwise,feelingsofstressandagitationmayresurfaceratherthandissipate.
3. Left nostril
breathing
Theleftsideofourbodyreflectsthecooling,introvertedaspectsofourselves, whiletherightembodiesthewarmer,extrovertedexperience.Whenyouare readytodoso,lieonyourrightsideanduseyourrightthumbtoblockoffyour rightnostril.Focusonbreathinginandoutthroughtheleftnostrilalonefor3-5 minutesasawaytobringyourselfsomepeaceandserenity.Oncefinished, returntoyournaturalbreathingpattern.