Struggling to sleep? Christa Avampato is a yoga instructor and for many years was an insomniac. Using some of the fundamental yoga practices–breathe and focus to bring calmness and relaxation–she has been able to overcome her insomnia, and her body thanks her for it.

I’ve had insomnia off and on for most of my life. For some people, insomnia is torture. For me, it was a tool I learned to use to my advantage for many years. My mom has it, too. When I was little, my mom would drive my father to the train station very early in the morning. I would head downstairs, make myself some oatmeal and then when my mom got home we’d watch I Love Lucy re-runs together before I got ready for school. Insomnia helped me to get through college and graduate school, and it was useful in my early career, too. Since my insomnia never affected my health, energy level or mood, I assumed for a long time that I was one of those people who just didn’t need a lot of sleep.

In my early thirties I started to worry. Maybe in the long-run I was damaging my health and I didn’t know it. Though productive with insomnia, could I be even more productive, more aware, if I could get more sleep? That started me down the road to re-examining my insomnia with a sharper lens.

In the spring, I read an article in the New York Times about insomnia, and some of its facts are startling:
1. Over the course of a year 30%-40% of U.S. adults experience insomnia
2. 10%-15% of people have chronic insomnia (like mine and my mom’s)
3. Americans spend $24B a year (yep, billions!) on sleep-related goods and services
4. For the nearly $4B we spend per year on sleep-inducing drugs, these drugs provide only an average of 11.4 additional minutes of sleep (aka – total waste of money!)

I’d love to tell you that my yoga practice solved my problem completely. It certainly helped – I noticed when I did more yoga I slept more soundly, though the number of hours I slept didn’t increase much. However, when I combined yoga with some other practices, sleep finally came. From this combo, I am now a solid 7-hour per night sleeper. If you’d like to get some more shut-eye, here are some methods to try that have worked for me:

1. I only sleep on my right side or my back. The left side of our bodies is the lunar side so leaving it open to the sky while sleeping on the solar side, the right side, is said to induce sleep. You can chalk that up to “too-groovy” science if you’d like; I did, too, until I tried it. It’s working.

2. Before heading to bed, I spend at least 15 minutes on my yoga mat, moving naturally between sleep-inducing postures like forward bends and gentle inversions Viparita Karani (Legs-Up-the-Wall). This helps signal to my body that it’s time to calm down.

3. I spend 5 at least minutes before I go to sleep seated in a comfortable, cross-legged position on my bed, eyes closed, just breathing deeply. I try to completely empty my mind – I don’t have any inner dialogue going on at this time. I just imagine taking the volume control of my life and turning it down all the way. I bookend my evening meditation with about 18 minutes of meditation in the morning. Again, I empty my mind, removing all dialogue.

4. I try to eat as soon as I get home from work, ~6:30pm, giving my body some time to digest before I toddle off to bed. A friend of mine gave me the idea to eat breakfast like a queen, lunch like a princess, and dinner like a pauper. When I stick to that idea, I find it helps my sleep.

5. I’m lucky that I live in a very sunny apartment on the top floor of my building. I have filmy curtains up over my windows to let the light in. I never bought blinds. I find being able to wake up with the natural light and go to sleep with the moon outside my window is helping my sleep patterns.

6. I’m a recovering multi-tasker. I used to take pride in being able to do many things at once, until I realized I wasn’t enjoying any of these things to the fullest. Now in my waking life I’m trying to be present wherever I am. When I’m at work, I’m at work, working. When I’m home, I’m home, working on my own independent projects. When I’m out with friends or on the phone with family or long-distance friends, I don’t multi-task or think about what I’m doing next. The people I spend my time with are my sole focus when I’m with them. This being present translates to improved sleep – when I’m in my bed, I’m only focused on how grateful I am for a place to rest and relax.

If you are struggling with insomnia and want to try this plan, please let me know how it goes! Also, I’d love to hear if you have any evening rituals that have helped you get more rest. Happy sleep to all, and to all a good night…

Photo Credit: Dan Fortune http://www.danfortune.net

Christa Avampato has many achievements under her belt, including a thriving yoga studio in midtown Manhattan, Compass Yoga, and a newly published book: Hope in Progress: 27 Entrepreneurs Who Inspired Me During the Great Recession is a collection of inspiring interviews that she conducted while writing for Examiner.com. She continues to write freelance and has contributed to a number of notable publications. Besides being a savvy businesswoman  and author, Christa is very philanthropic- 20% of every yoga class goes to a nonprofit of the student’s choice. Be sure to follow Christa on Twitter @christanyc and check out her blog, Christa in New York.