Yoga for better sleep: a bedtime routine to help you switch off

Why yoga can help you sleep

To fall asleep, your body needs to shift from alert to restful: a slower heart, slower breathing, relaxed muscles and a quieter mind. Long days, late screens, worry and heavy dinners all keep that shift from happening. A bedtime routine of slow movement and slow breathing sends the opposite signal.

• It releases the day's tensionGentle stretches loosen the neck, back and hips after hours of sitting.
• It slows the breathA longer out-breath is one of the simplest ways to calm the body.
• It gives the mind one thing to doFollowing the breath or a body scan leaves less room for replaying the day.
• It becomes a cueDone at the same time each night, the routine itself tells your body it is time to sleep.

What the research shows

A 2020 meta-analysis by Wang and colleagues pooled 19 studies with 1,832 women with sleep problems. Yoga improved self-reported sleep quality compared with control groups, and no serious side effects were reported. However, the effect on insomnia severity, measured in only three trials, was not significant.

The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health describes yoga as promising for sleep in several groups, including older adults and people with cancer, but notes the evidence is still limited. For long-term insomnia, sleep specialists recommend cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) as the main treatment. Yoga is a helpful addition, not a replacement.

A 15-minute bedtime routine

Do this in dim light, 30 to 60 minutes before bed, and at least two hours after dinner. Keep your phone in another room.

Poses you can do in bed

Too tired for a mat? These work on the mattress, lights off.

1. Knees to chestHug both knees gently and rock a little side to side to release the lower back.
2. Supine butterflySoles of the feet together, knees falling open onto pillows.
3. Legs up the headboardOr simply rest your calves on a stack of pillows.
4. Side-lying restA pillow between the knees, one hand on the belly, breathing slowly.
5. Body scanMove your attention slowly from the toes to the head, softening each part as you go.

Yoga Nidra and breathing for falling asleep

Yoga Nidra, often called "yogic sleep", is a guided practice done lying down. A teacher's voice, or a recording, leads you through the body, the breath and simple images while you stay still. Many people use a 10 to 20-minute recording in bed and drift off before it ends. Try our 20-minute Yoga Nidra script.

• Longer out-breathIn for 4, out for 6 or 8. Repeat until the count fades away.
• BhramariFive soft rounds of humming on the out-breath, sitting up in bed, before you lie down.
• Counting backwardsCount breaths from 50 down to 1. If you lose count, start again from 50, without frustration.

Skip Kapalbhati, Bhastrika and power yoga in the evening. They are energising and can keep you awake. Save them for the morning.

Sleep habits that matter as much as yoga

• Same wake-up time every day, including weekends. This is the single strongest anchor for your body clock.
• Morning daylight. Ten minutes outside after waking helps you feel sleepy at night. A morning walk or morning yoga outdoors does both.
• Caffeine before lunch only. Tea and coffee can affect sleep for hours.
• Lighter, earlier dinners. A heavy, late meal makes it harder to settle and can cause acidity.
• Screens off 30 to 60 minutes before bed. Replace scrolling with your yoga routine.
• A cool, dark, quiet room. Curtains, a fan and earplugs if needed.
• If you can't sleep after about 20 minutes, get up, sit somewhere dim and do slow breathing until you feel sleepy, then return to bed.

When to see a doctor

See a doctor if you:

• have trouble sleeping at least three nights a week for three months or more
• snore loudly, gasp or stop breathing in your sleep, or wake unrefreshed and sleepy in the day (possible signs of sleep apnoea)
• feel an urge to move your legs at night that keeps you awake
• have sleep problems with low mood, anxiety or worry that will not settle. See getting help for anxiety.

Do not stop or change sleeping tablets without your doctor's advice.

Yoga for better sleep: common questions

Sources

• Wang W.L. et al. (2020): The effect of yoga on sleep quality and insomnia in women with sleep problems, a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Psychiatry
• NCCIH: Mind and body practices for sleep disorders
• Zaccaro A. et al. (2018): Slow breathing, a systematic review. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience