It can. Sleep largely depends on lowering your core body temperature, and vigorous exercise has the opposite effect. In a healthy sleep pattern, your body temperature drops when the sun sets, reaches its lowest point just before dawn, and starts to elevate at sunrise. But an after-dark high energy yoga class under bright lights suppresses melatonin production and activates your sympathetic nervous system, which increases blood flow to your muscles, making you feel more awake.
If the evening is your only window for practice, choose a slower-paced yoga class, such as Yin or restorative, that emphasizes deep breathing and prolonged pose holds. You might also seek a class that’s held in a candlelit or low-light room to avoid stimulation. These options engage your parasympathetic nervous system, which is associated with relaxation.
Rubin Naiman, PhD Clinical and sleep-health psychologist, Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, Tucson, Arizona
This article was first published in the print edition of Yoga Journal Singapore, which is now Yogahood Online
