The Benefits of Yoga for Sleep

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhy Yoga Is Good for SleepWhat the Research SaysBest Types of Yoga for SleepYoga Poses to TryHow to Start

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Why Yoga Is Good for Sleep

What the Research Says

Best Types of Yoga for Sleep

Yoga Poses to Try

How to Start

Close

Yoga is an ancient practice that combines meditative movements, physical exercise, stretching, breathing, and attentiveness. It can have awide range of health benefits, including better sleep. Because yoga can be relaxing and restorative, it is a great way to wind down from a busy day.

If you are spending too many nights tossing and turning, incorporating yoga into your daily routine might be helpful. This ancient practice can be a valuable tool forcombating stress, so it is often particularly useful if your nighttime insomnia is related tostress. Yoga is a healthy way to combat feelings ofanxiety and worry.

This article discusses some of the reasons why yoga can be beneficial for sleep, the best types of yoga to practice before you doze off, and poses to try. It also covers how to make bedtime yoga a regular habit.

There are a number of reasons why yoga might help improve your sleep. Some of these include:

Recap

Research also supports the use of yoga as a sleep aid. For example, studies have found that:

Some evidence also suggests that yoga might help relieve symptoms of restless leg syndrome (RLS), a disorder that causes compulsive leg movements that often interfere with sleep.

The Benefits of Yoga for Sleep

There are many different types of yoga that you might try, but not all of them are right for helping you sleep better. Certain types of yoga can be more challenging and heart-pumping. For example, hot yoga or vinyasa are both forms of yoga that are higher-intensity. If better sleep is your goal, it is important to select an approach focused more on relaxation and stretching.

Here are the best types of yoga to do before sleep:

7 Breathing Exercises for Better Sleep

Fortunately, you don’t need to become a yoga expert to benefit from this practice. Learning a few simple moves and practicing them as part of your nighttime routine can ease tension and relax your body so that you can sleep peacefully.

Your nightly yoga routine should focus on poses that encourage relaxation. Talking to a yoga instructor can be helpful, but some basic poses you might try include:

RecapFocus on choosing yoga that incorporates light to moderate activity along with deep breathing and gentle, controlled movements.

Focus on choosing yoga that incorporates light to moderate activity along with deep breathing and gentle, controlled movements.

According to the experts, having a regular, predictable nighttime routine is a healthy sleep habit. While you don’t want to do anything too invigorating in the evening hours, many yoga poses can help signal your body that it is time to rest.

Before you climb into bed, consider spending a little time doing a few of these poses. Here are some tips to guide your practice:

RecapCareful body movements, gentle stretching, and controlled, deep breathing can calm your body and prepare you for a restful night.

Careful body movements, gentle stretching, and controlled, deep breathing can calm your body and prepare you for a restful night.

A Word From Verywell

Sleep problems are a major concern for many adults in the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), adults need at least seven hours of sleep per night. However, 35.2% of adults in the U.S. report averaging less than that per night.

If you struggle with your sleep, yoga can be a great addition to your nightly routine. Good sleep is essential for both physical andmental health, so finding ways to address your sleep problems is essential for your overall well-being.

Yoga is not a substitute for other treatments, however. If you are still experiencing sleep problems after trying yoga and other healthy sleep practices, you should talk to your doctor. You may have a sleep disorder or another health condition, so discussing your symptoms with a healthcare professional can help you get the appropriate treatment that you need.

What Is Yoga Therapy?

9 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Jerath R, Beveridge C, Barnes VA.Self-regulation of breathing as an adjunctive treatment of insomnia.Front Psychiatry. 2019;9:780. Published 2019 Jan 29. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00780Zeichner SB, Zeichner RL, Gogineni K, Shatil S, Ioachimescu O.Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, mindfulness, and yoga in patients with breast cancer with sleep disturbance: a literature review.Breast Cancer (Auckl). 2017 Dec 7;11:1178223417745564. doi:10.1177/1178223417745564Cleveland Clinic.How exercise affects your sleep.Field T, Diego M, Delgado J, Medina L.Tai chi/yoga reduces prenatal depression, anxiety and sleep disturbances.Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2013;19(1):6-10. doi:10.1016/j.ctcp.2012.10.001Hariprasad VR, Sivakumar PT, Koparde V, et al.Effects of yoga intervention on sleep and quality-of-life in elderly: a randomized controlled trial.Indian J Psychiatry. 2013;55(Suppl 3):S364-S368. doi:10.4103/0019-5545.116310Wang WL, Chen KH, Pan YC, Yang SN, Chan YY.The effect of yoga on sleep quality and insomnia in women with sleep problems: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC Psychiatry. 2020;20(1):195. Published 2020 May 1. doi:10.1186/s12888-020-02566-4Innes KE, Selfe TK, Agarwal P, Williams K, Flack KL.Efficacy of an eight-week yoga intervention on symptoms of restless legs syndrome (RLS): a pilot study.J Altern Complement Med. 2013;19(6):527-535. doi:10.1089/acm.2012.0330American Academy of Sleep Medicine.Healthy sleep habits.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).Data and statistics: short sleep duration among US adults.

9 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Jerath R, Beveridge C, Barnes VA.Self-regulation of breathing as an adjunctive treatment of insomnia.Front Psychiatry. 2019;9:780. Published 2019 Jan 29. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00780Zeichner SB, Zeichner RL, Gogineni K, Shatil S, Ioachimescu O.Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, mindfulness, and yoga in patients with breast cancer with sleep disturbance: a literature review.Breast Cancer (Auckl). 2017 Dec 7;11:1178223417745564. doi:10.1177/1178223417745564Cleveland Clinic.How exercise affects your sleep.Field T, Diego M, Delgado J, Medina L.Tai chi/yoga reduces prenatal depression, anxiety and sleep disturbances.Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2013;19(1):6-10. doi:10.1016/j.ctcp.2012.10.001Hariprasad VR, Sivakumar PT, Koparde V, et al.Effects of yoga intervention on sleep and quality-of-life in elderly: a randomized controlled trial.Indian J Psychiatry. 2013;55(Suppl 3):S364-S368. doi:10.4103/0019-5545.116310Wang WL, Chen KH, Pan YC, Yang SN, Chan YY.The effect of yoga on sleep quality and insomnia in women with sleep problems: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC Psychiatry. 2020;20(1):195. Published 2020 May 1. doi:10.1186/s12888-020-02566-4Innes KE, Selfe TK, Agarwal P, Williams K, Flack KL.Efficacy of an eight-week yoga intervention on symptoms of restless legs syndrome (RLS): a pilot study.J Altern Complement Med. 2013;19(6):527-535. doi:10.1089/acm.2012.0330American Academy of Sleep Medicine.Healthy sleep habits.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).Data and statistics: short sleep duration among US adults.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Jerath R, Beveridge C, Barnes VA.Self-regulation of breathing as an adjunctive treatment of insomnia.Front Psychiatry. 2019;9:780. Published 2019 Jan 29. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00780Zeichner SB, Zeichner RL, Gogineni K, Shatil S, Ioachimescu O.Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, mindfulness, and yoga in patients with breast cancer with sleep disturbance: a literature review.Breast Cancer (Auckl). 2017 Dec 7;11:1178223417745564. doi:10.1177/1178223417745564Cleveland Clinic.How exercise affects your sleep.Field T, Diego M, Delgado J, Medina L.Tai chi/yoga reduces prenatal depression, anxiety and sleep disturbances.Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2013;19(1):6-10. doi:10.1016/j.ctcp.2012.10.001Hariprasad VR, Sivakumar PT, Koparde V, et al.Effects of yoga intervention on sleep and quality-of-life in elderly: a randomized controlled trial.Indian J Psychiatry. 2013;55(Suppl 3):S364-S368. doi:10.4103/0019-5545.116310Wang WL, Chen KH, Pan YC, Yang SN, Chan YY.The effect of yoga on sleep quality and insomnia in women with sleep problems: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC Psychiatry. 2020;20(1):195. Published 2020 May 1. doi:10.1186/s12888-020-02566-4Innes KE, Selfe TK, Agarwal P, Williams K, Flack KL.Efficacy of an eight-week yoga intervention on symptoms of restless legs syndrome (RLS): a pilot study.J Altern Complement Med. 2013;19(6):527-535. doi:10.1089/acm.2012.0330American Academy of Sleep Medicine.Healthy sleep habits.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).Data and statistics: short sleep duration among US adults.

Jerath R, Beveridge C, Barnes VA.Self-regulation of breathing as an adjunctive treatment of insomnia.Front Psychiatry. 2019;9:780. Published 2019 Jan 29. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00780

Zeichner SB, Zeichner RL, Gogineni K, Shatil S, Ioachimescu O.Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, mindfulness, and yoga in patients with breast cancer with sleep disturbance: a literature review.Breast Cancer (Auckl). 2017 Dec 7;11:1178223417745564. doi:10.1177/1178223417745564

Cleveland Clinic.How exercise affects your sleep.

Field T, Diego M, Delgado J, Medina L.Tai chi/yoga reduces prenatal depression, anxiety and sleep disturbances.Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2013;19(1):6-10. doi:10.1016/j.ctcp.2012.10.001

Hariprasad VR, Sivakumar PT, Koparde V, et al.Effects of yoga intervention on sleep and quality-of-life in elderly: a randomized controlled trial.Indian J Psychiatry. 2013;55(Suppl 3):S364-S368. doi:10.4103/0019-5545.116310

Wang WL, Chen KH, Pan YC, Yang SN, Chan YY.The effect of yoga on sleep quality and insomnia in women with sleep problems: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC Psychiatry. 2020;20(1):195. Published 2020 May 1. doi:10.1186/s12888-020-02566-4

Innes KE, Selfe TK, Agarwal P, Williams K, Flack KL.Efficacy of an eight-week yoga intervention on symptoms of restless legs syndrome (RLS): a pilot study.J Altern Complement Med. 2013;19(6):527-535. doi:10.1089/acm.2012.0330

American Academy of Sleep Medicine.Healthy sleep habits.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).Data and statistics: short sleep duration among US adults.

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