There are many people who face insomnia, and many reasons behind its occurrence. From the occasional instance, such as those night-before-Christmas jitters you experience as a child, to chronic "restless mind syndrome," to a genetic predisposition to a biological clock not dissimilar to that of a hyena or an owl, to dietetic internship applications and case studies *cough cough*, there are countless reasons sleep can evade us.

One of the biggest problems is that, even for those who eventually find sleep, it usually comes at the cost of anxiety, insufficient sleep, or sleeping through your alarm. Life dictates that the time you have to wake up cannot just change based upon the time you actually get to sleep, and I have recently come to the bitter realization that my bedtime of 4 am and alarm of 11 am will not cut the bill when I am doing hospital rotations that require me to be there at 5:30 or possibly before.

Ergo, I needed to take some action to strategically get my sleep schedule back on that of a decent human being. While it isn't perfect, I haven't had a 4 am night in quite a while, and a big part in that change has been creating a bedtime routine with yoga.

For me, it starts with picking a time (my goal is between 10pm and midnight) when I consciously deny my workaholic tendencies and say "yes" to beginning the wind-down process.

This is kind of my method of taking time to work on Psalm 46:10 - "Be still, and know that I am God." My mind will literally race with all the things I can be doing to work on this or that, but doing yoga forces me to actually just be still for a bit, to trust and thank God for all he's done during the day and so far in my life.

I like using YouTube to just search a couple videos for me to do in my PJs right before bed or right when I wake up, no hair brushing, coat bundling, or driving required. After all, I feel like doing a late-night yoga session at the gym (if they existed that late) would be dangerous, and the steps required to move from shavasana to "namaste" to actually getting in bed would kind of counteract the relaxed vibe in the process.

Therefore, here's a couple really great yoga videos you may want to incorporate into a bedtime/wake-up routine, which might help you also discover a better night's sleep. I include bedtime and morning yoga, because the earlier I get up and awake in the mornings, the sooner and more often I can really use my body during the day, making me more apt to rest at night.

1. Yoga for Bedtime - 20 Minute Practice

This is the first video I tried, and it remains my favorite. It is conducted by my homegirl Adriene, and she's just so chill and informal that it's perfect for the relaxed nature of bedtime. She refers to this as her "yummy" bedtime yoga video, whatever that means, but it's fabulous. There's some relaxing soundscapes in the background, she gives you several ideas for poses that may work best for you, and the 20 minute length is just long enough to get you in the zone, but not so long that it pushes your actual going-to-bed time even later.

2. Bedtime Yoga - 20 Minute Calming & Relaxing Night Time Flow

This Texas-based YouTube yoga channel appears to feature several different instructors, but this 20-minute video is by one of the main instructors, Cole Chance. She's a bit more structured than Adriene, but this is still a really great one to add to the rotation and switch things up. Also - you'll see what I mean when you watch the video - I feel like her awesome hair is credential enough to be a pretty awesome yoga instructor. I don't know.

3. Bedtime Yoga - Night Time Practice for Sleep

Also from the YOGATX channel, this session features an instructor named Savannah, and lasts a little less than 15 minutes. My favorite videos to use are between around 15 to 25 minutes, depending on how early or late it is already.

4. 7 Minute Bedtime Yoga - Yoga With Adriene

So you stayed up till 3 am again… oops. Fear not. Make the most of your sleep time without staying up later than you have to. Just take 7 minutes - again, with my personal favorite (Adriene) - and get your bedtime session in.

5. Yoga For Sleep - Rest & Restore Bedtime Beginners Flow

Another good option with Cole, this one is less than 14 minutes. Not too beginner-level, but again, this is bedtime yoga, so it's nothing really difficult or anything like that.

6. 12 Minute Yoga in Bed to Unwind

This fun twist on bedtime yoga - brought to you by Yoga by Candace - ditches the yoga mat entirely and goes straight from the bed. She has a queen or king size bed, but (speaking from experience, unfortunately) a twin size works fine as well.

7. Bedtime Yoga to Release Sore Muscles and Calm Your Nerves | Yoga With Tim

Okay, does anyone remember on the Wii Fit when one day your normal Wii Fit Trainer would be "out" and the trainer of the other gender would come and fill in, like he or she wasn't a preprogrammed image on a game console in the first place? No? Well, that's what this felt like when I watched this video for the first time, like "Whoa, okay."

Anywho, this video is particularly helpful if you prefer a male instructor, if you are an athlete, or if your day involved a pretty good workout and you need to relieve sore muscles. It's a little different because he is working on potential sore muscles, but it still shares similarities with the other bedtime yoga sessions.

8. Beginner Morning Yoga for Women | 10-Min | Energizing Wake Up Vinyasa Flow

This video from BrettLarkinYoga could really probably be done by any gender, but it's a quick 10 minute session that gets your muscles awake and working a bit, but nothing too intense - after all, you're just getting up from bed.

9. Morning Yoga - Energizing Morning Sequence

(This is another good one from Yoga With Adriene.) If you have a little more time in the morning, this is a 24 minute session, and a bit more challenging than the last one. However, it's still really good for getting your day going, and pushing yourself a little further as you do more yoga each day.

10. Morning Yoga - 20 Min Wake Up Sequence - Five Parks Yoga

I typically prefer videos where the instructor is inside, like I am (it can sometimes kill the vibe when the instructor glances to his or her right and sees a waterfall, and I glance to my right and see a floor that needs swept.) But, for those of you that like having pretty scenery in the video, this video is shot with palm trees and water around. Also, there's a puppy that periodically walks in front of the screen, so if that's not reason enough to watch this yoga session from Erin Sampson - well, do it for the puppy.

Find which videos work best for you. See if you prefer indoors or outdoors, 5 minute videos or 1 hour videos. Find your favorite instructor. I have to say - if you're tempted to tell yourself that you only have time for 5 minutes - if you at all can do one that's at least 20 minutes, it's worth it. I hope adding a little yoga to your routine can help you like it helped me, and in conclusion - namaste.