Relax! Sleep Better With These Day And Night Mind-Body Remedies

Take a walk in nature

If you’re looking for a slower-paced exercise, get outside and walk in nature. It can transform your mood and help you unwind.

Calm, positive, happy, or relaxed. Do any of those words describe how you feel after walking under a tree-lined canopy?

In Japan, it’s called “Shinrin-yoku,” or forest bathing (walking in the forest). It helps promote relaxation.

A study found participants who walked for 15 minutes in a bamboo forest experienced significantly higher alpha brain waves (the main brain wave pattern that develops when you become drowsy) than those who walked in the city.

Again, walking in nature won’t put you to sleep. However, it can help you unwind after a long day and initiate the transition to a more relaxed state.

And research has shown myriad health and well-being benefits to spending time in nature (as long as people feel safe), including lower blood pressure and stress hormone levels, enhanced immune system function, reduce nervous system arousal and anxiety, and improved mood.

Relax your body with yoga

In general, yoga boosts your alpha waves and slows down your mind and body.

A review of 15 scientific articles found positive effects on brain waves with yoga, specifically Santhi Krya yoga, which focuses on breathing and relaxation. Measurements of brain wave activity were done before, after, and at ten-day increments. 

Alpha waves also increased with these mind-body interventions – breath work, meditation, and asana-based (body postures) yoga.

Yoga can put you in a relaxed state of mind and may also reduce your menopause symptoms.

Another analysis – this time of 1300 participants in 13 research studies – found yoga can reduce menopause symptoms, including those sleep-disrupting hot flashes.

Remember, you have the power to control your journey through menopause. You don’t have to suffer.

Yoga can also improve your mood.

You can do yoga during the day or even before bed if that yoga is focused on slow, relaxing movements.

Practicing Yoga Nidra for sleep

You can also try yoga nidra, which uses elements of guided imagery, mental body scans, and rhythmic breathing to help you achieve deep relaxation.

Yoga nidra means “yogic sleep.” However, you won’t actually sleep. Instead, you’ll relax your senses, body, breath, and conscious and unconscious mind.

So, how do you get started with yoga nidra?

Richard Miller is a leader in the teachings of Yoga nidra and identifies 10 steps to practicing this ancient therapy. The overall idea is to work through your thoughts and emotions, set a goal and focus on your breathing so you come away with a greater sense of awareness and healthier well-being.

You can also purchase Yoga Nidra audio sessions from Dr. Gina Sager. She’s undergone training from Jon Kabat-Zinn, often known as the “father of mindfulness.”

Tai Chi relaxation benefits

Women experienced similar effects with tai chi (sometimes called “meditation in motion”). The low-impact exercise created an alert and relaxed state among participants.

Tai chi exercises like slow-motion karate kicks, balancing on one foot, airplane wings, and deep knee bends can also promote this relaxed state. 

Tai chi has also been shown to improve balance, flexibility, muscle strength, mood, and aerobic capacity as well as reduce stress and pain. Some women use it as a non-hormonal option to manage menopause symptoms.

Qigong

Qigong is another option. Qi means “breath” or “air,” and gong means “work” or “effort.”

Pronounced chee-gung, the technique focuses on breathing, postures, meditations, and guided imagery.

The low-impact nature of tai chi and qigong make them popular with older adults. Each has its own movements and postures to connect the mind and body.

A review of studies found qigong had a slight advantage over tai chi when improving sleep quality. But both proved beneficial.

Like tai chi, qigong is a non-hormonal option for managing menopause symptoms.

Meditation

How about meditation? It’s known to reduce stress and calm your mind and body. Why? Because it helps your brain produce more alpha waves and reduce beta waves—a positive step toward better sleep. (Beta waves are present when the brain is actively engaged in mental activities.)

While there are many apps to help you meditate, you only need a chair, your breath, and five minutes to get started.

Start by practicing during the day. That way, when those beta waves kick in during the middle of the night, you’ll know how to relax your mind and body because you practiced during the day.

Ready to focus on the present moment and harness the power of your breath?

Sit straight up, and slow down your breathing. Expand your belly on the inhale and relax it on the exhale.

The mind and body work in tandem and focusing on something as simple as your breath can induce relaxation.

By paying attention to your breath, you’ll know when your mind begins to wander. Bring it back to the present moment – focusing on your breath.

Then, take another deep breath. Slow your breathing. Is your mind slowing too?

Continue to focus on your breath.

Continue this exercise in a non-judgmental way. Observe. Don’t judge. Remember that, especially if your mind wanders at first. That’s normal.

Give yourself time to realize the power of your breath and the present moment. 

Guided meditation

Meditation seems simple, but it may prove challenging at first, especially if you have a lot on your mind.

For extra support on your breath journey, try a guided meditation from an app like Calm. Or listen to a video.