The Science of Sleep and How Yoga Supports It

Sleep is essential for health. We all know this instinctively, after a bad night, everything feels harder. But many people don’t realise just how deeply sleep affects our entire system.

Research links poor sleep with a higher risk of anxiety, depression, inflammation, low immunity, hormonal imbalance, chronic pain, and even long-term conditions like cardiovascular disease. Despite this, sleep difficulties are incredibly common, especially in our fast-paced, always-on culture.

Yoga is increasingly recognised as a helpful and evidence-based way to support better sleep. It’s not a cure-all, but when practised consistently and gently, yoga can shift the conditions of the body and mind to make rest more accessible.

Modern sleep problems often stem from:

• Overactive nervous systems (we stay in fight-or-flight mode)

• Mental overstimulation (especially screens and noise)

• Physical discomfort or tension

• Poor sleep routines or irregular rhythms

Over time, this becomes a cycle: stress affects sleep, poor sleep affects stress, and so on.

How Yoga can help supports sleep through several key mechanisms:

• Nervous System Regulation

Gentle yoga activates the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest mode), helping to reduce anxiety and promote calm.

• Physical Relaxation

Stretching and mindful movement reduce muscular tension, pain, and physical restlessness that can keep us awake.

• Hormonal Balance

Yoga has been shown to lower cortisol (the stress hormone) and may support melatonin production, the hormone that regulates our sleep-wake cycle.

• Breath and Mindfulness

Breathwork and meditation help reduce mental noise, calming racing thoughts and bringing attention back into the body.

• Sleep Hygiene Awareness

Regular yoga practice encourages more mindful routines—people often begin to make healthier choices around caffeine, screen time, and bedtime.

Several research studies have found yoga can improve:

• Sleep quality

• Time taken to fall asleep

• Duration of sleep

• Feelings of restfulness upon waking

These benefits have been seen in older adults, people with chronic pain, anxiety, perimenopausal women, and others with disrupted sleep patterns.

Sleep is also a key factor in emotional wellbeing. Long-term sleep deprivation is strongly associated with increased risk of anxiety, low mood, and at its most severe, suicidal thoughts.

This is not about alarm, but awareness. When we treat sleep as foundational, we’re supporting not just our energy, but our overall mental health and ability to cope.

Here are a few yoga practices to try at home:

• Legs up the wall (5–10 minutes)

• Seated forward fold with long exhales

• Gentle supine twists or supported child’s pose

• Alternate nostril breathing

• Yoga Nidra (guided rest meditation / find a sleep meditation for free on my website!)

These can be done in bed or beside it and repeated regularly to build a supportive routine.

Better sleep often begins with small shifts, not striving, but softening. Yoga offers a gentle, sustainable way to invite rest back in.

If you struggle with sleep, you’re not alone. Be kind to yourself. Explore what helps, and know that support is available. Your body wants to rest. Yoga gently helps remind it how.

Naomi Hurst