Ever tried falling asleep during periods of restlessness, worrying, and overall anxiety? How about after scrolling for hours right before bed? Not so easy right?
How do I know?
Well, not only am I guilty of scrolling through my phone right before bed, but I suffered from chronic anxiety for years.
Let’s just say that laying down to sleep was never an easy task.
But after years of a regular yoga practice and then becoming a teacher, I’ve learned various techniques including meditation and breathing that contributed to my healing.
You see…
…anxiety and stress are pretty much normal aspects of our lives. In fact, small bursts of stress are actually needed throughout the day in order to stay alert, focused, and to survive day in and day out. Daily stressors may include, for example, trying to cross a busy street without getting hit by a car, trying to catch the morning bus to get to work on time, rushing through your project to make your deadline, sitting in traffic and worrying about not getting to work on time.
But what happens when these stressors get out of hand and our normal balancing system can no longer keep up?
When stressors get out of hand, we may start to experience symptoms of anxiety and accumulated (long-term) stress.
These symptoms may include disturbed breathing patterns, high blood pressure, excessive worrying, restlessness, and insomnia, to name a few.
All of this restlessness, worrying, and overall hyperactivity can cause sleep disruptions any given day, if not everyday.
There are many ways to relieve symptoms of anxiety and help induce restful sleep at night. My recommendations?
Well, of course, yoga, meditation, and specific breathing techniques sure help.
