- Evidence suggests practicing yoga before bed may help you fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly.
- Yoga may work to improve sleep because it helps relax both your mind and body, experts say.
If you have trouble falling asleep or sleeping soundly through the night, you're not alone. Estimates suggest 50-70 million US adults have at least one sleep disorder, and 11% say they don't get enough sleep each night.
But whether you find yourself unable to drift off, or wake up multiple times throughout the night, there's a lot you can do to improve your sleep — and practicing yoga is one thing you can try at any time.
One national survey found that over 55% of people who practice yoga say they get better sleep. Research also suggests that yoga may help:
- Improve sleep quality
- Reduce symptoms of insomnia, such as difficulty falling asleep or waking up frequently
- Lower stress and anxiety, both of which can factor into sleep problems
Anxiety and stress, in particular, can keep you in a heightened state of arousal and cause racing thoughts that keep you lying awake, according to Valerie Ugrinow, a master yoga trainer for YogaSix. But yoga can help you reach a calmer state of mind, making it easier to fall asleep, Ugrinow says.
All that said, some yoga poses may do a better job relaxing your mind and body than others. Below, you'll find eight poses recommended by yoga instructors for better quality sleep.
1. Standing forward fold
Why it works:
This pose is known as an inversion, meaning it positions your head lower than your heart. Niki Saccareccia, founder of Light Inside Yoga and a featured teacher on the Yoga Wake Up app, says that by turning your spine and head upside down, you orient with gravity rather than trying to resist it.
"This eases physical tension and pressure on your body, which can help you feel more relaxed," she says.
Evidence also suggests that practicing inversions can improve your heart rate variability (HRV) — which means your body is better able to activate the parasympathetic nervous system as needed.
Medical term: Your parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for helping your body return to a relaxed state after periods of stress or danger.
How to do it:
1. Stand with your feet at least as wide as your hips or slightly wider.
2. Take a long inhale through your nose as you lengthen your spine and stand as tall as possible,
3. As you exhale, hinge at your hips to fold your torso down towards your knees. Bend your knees slightly to protect your lower back.
4. Let your head and neck relax. You can grab opposite elbows and let your arms hang loosely, or rest them gently on your shins or the floor depending on your level of flexibility.
5. Stay here for 30 seconds to a minute while breathing slowly and intentionally.
2. Half fire log pose
Why it works:
Saccareccia says this deep stretch can be especially beneficial if you spend most of your day sitting. This pose helps relieve tension in the hips, which can make it easier to relax and find a comfortable position when it's time to sleep, she says.
How to do it:
1. Sit on the edge of your bed or a chair with both feet flat on the floor.
2. As you take a full inhale through your nose, lengthen your spine upwards.
3. As you exhale, lean forward slightly without rounding your back.
4. Reach and grab your right shin and foot, placing your outer right ankle on your left knee.
5. Flex your right toes toward your shin to protect your knee joint and to increase the stretch in your outer hip. Lean forward more as needed to increase the stretch. Stay here for a full minute.
6. Place your right foot back on the floor, and repeat steps 2-5 with the left foot.
3. Reclined cobbler's pose
Why it works: According to Saccareccia, spending most of your day hunched over a computer, steering wheel, or smartphone causes your body to contract.
This puts pressure on your back and spine and can also cause a shallow breathing pattern that mimics what happens during your fight or flight response.
This particular pose, however, opens up your chest to allow for deeper breathing, which can promote relaxation.
How to do it:
1. Lay flat on your back in bed or on a yoga mat, with your arms resting at your sides and palms facing up toward the ceiling.
2. Bring the soles of your feet together and allow your knees to fall out to the sides. If necessary, you can place pillows underneath your outer knees for extra support.
3. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen.
4. Count to six in your mind as you inhale, feeling your belly expand. Then count to eight as you exhale and feel your belly deflate. Repeat this step for up to four minutes.
4. Legs up a wall pose
Why it works:
Legs up a wall is a common restorative yoga pose. Restorative yoga involves performing gentle poses and stretches while using props for support.
According to Ugrinow, this pose helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system, relaxing your muscles and slowing down your breathing.
What's more, Saccareccia says having your legs and feet elevated can encourage blood flow back to your heart, thus possibly helping increase your HRV — and experts link a higher HRV to lower stress.
In fact, a small study found that Japanese nurses working the night shift experienced less stress after four weeks of practicing restorative yoga.
How to do it:
1. Move to a side of your bed that faces the wall. If there are no walls on either side of your bed, start seated on a mat facing a wall.
2. Position yourself sideways so that one of your hips makes contact with the wall. Then, swing your legs up until they're resting against the wall. To avoid locking your knees, keep them slightly bent.
3. For a deeper stretch, scoot toward the wall so your legs are at a 90-degree angle with your torso. Or, for a milder stretch, scoot yourself back so that your butt is farther away from the wall.
4. Saccareccia advises staying here, while focusing on your breath, for up to 10 minutes. To come out of the pose, bend your knees toward your chest and roll onto your side.
Note: Amber Simpson, a certified yoga instructor and sleep therapist, says restorative yoga and yoga nidra are the best types of yoga for sleep. Yoga nidra entails scanning your body while lying flat.
5. Child's pose
Why it works: Ugrinow says this pose can help prepare you for sleep by encouraging your whole body to relax via deep breathing, while also relieving tension in your lower back, chest, and shoulders.
How to do it:
1. Start on your hands and knees. Bring the toes of your left foot and right foot in so they touch and spread your knees apart by several inches.
2. Inhale, and then on an exhale, sit your hips back until your buttocks rest against your heels, and allow your chest to rest on the floor between your knees. Place your forehead on the floor.
3. Keep your arms long and extended with your palms facing down. Or, you can bring them back toward you to rest parallel with your thighs, palms facing upward.
4. With every exhale, allow your head, neck, shoulders, chest, and back to relax even further into the floor.
5. Hold this pose for up to one minute. Then, use your hands to walk your torso upright and sit back on your heels.
Quick tip: If the stretch feels too intense as you lower yourself to the floor, Ugrinow suggests placing a pillow or rolled-up blanket under your forehead.
6. Supported bridge pose
Why it works: According to Ugrinow, this gentle yoga backbend opens up both the chest and spine for deeper breathing while stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system. Both of these effects may help you feel more relaxed before bedtime.
How to do it:
1. Start by lying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the mat. You should be just barely able to touch the backs of your heels with your fingertips.
2. Press down through your feet and lift your hips. Then, slide a block, thick pillow, or a stack of several folded blankets underneath your sacrum — the base of your spine where your back meets your buttocks.
3. Allow the weight of your body to fully relax, and keep your arms outstretched on the floor next to your body.
4. To further open your chest, stretch your arms out wide.
5. Hold this pose for a minimum of 5-10 breaths. When you're ready to come out of it, simply lift your hips to remove the prop and lower them to the floor. Then stretch your legs out and gently roll your torso up off the floor.
Note: Using props like bolster pillows, blocks, and blankets can prove beneficial for supporting your body and allowing you to relax into deeper stretches.
7. Corpse pose
Why it works: Simpson says there's a good reason why many yoga classes end with this pose: It allows all of the muscles to fully relax, promoting a sense of calm and making it easier to bring your attention to your breath.
For these same reasons, corpse pose can also help prepare you for sleep.
How to do it:
1. Lie flat on a mat or your bed, with your legs slightly separated.
2. Allow your legs to relax so your ankles can roll open and your feet can fall outward.
3. With your arms relaxed at your sides and your palms facing up toward the ceiling, relax your hands and let your fingers curl inward.
4. Continue scanning your body upwards and releasing any effort or tension in each set of muscles as you go. When you reach your head, make sure you're not holding your neck in a fixed position, and relax the muscles in your face.
5. Stay in the pose for at least two to five minutes. If your mind wanders, bring your attention to your breath and the sensation of your belly, ribcage, and chest rising and falling.
8. Cat-cow stretch
Why it works: Since this pose pairs gentle movement with breathwork, it can help you get out of your head and into your body, Ugrinow says. That may prove beneficial if racing thoughts keep you awake at night.
How to do it:
1. Start on your hands and knees, with your knees directly under your hips. Spread your fingers wide to better support your wrists.
2. As you inhale deeply, slowly arch your spine and bring your head up, tilting your head just slightly backward to elongate your neck. This is known as "cow" pose.
3. Then, as you exhale deeply, begin drawing your chin in toward your chest rounding your spine for "cat" pose.
4. Continue slowly alternating between these two poses for at least five to 10 full inhalations and exhalations.
Best yoga mats
Using a yoga mat with the poses above can provide comfort and support on your way to better sleep. Here are some of the best yoga mats we've tested and recommend:
- Best overall: Rumi Earth Sun Yoga Mat - See at Rumi Earth
- Best cheap mat: Hugger Mugger Gallery Collection Yoga Mat - See at Backcountry
- Best eco-friendly: Hugger Mugger Para Rubber Yoga Mat - See at Amazon and Backcountry
- Best for travel: Manduka Eko Superlight Travel Yoga Mat - See at Amazon and Manduka
- Best washable: Yogi Bare Teddy Yoga Mat - See at Amazon
Insider's takeaway
Yoga can help reduce stress and anxiety, relieve tension in the body, and relax your mind. So, if you're having trouble getting the sleep you need, adding yoga to your nighttime routine may help you fall asleep faster — not to mention improve the quality of your rest.
When it comes to promoting restful sleep, poses that allow you to hone in on your breathing — such as those commonly used in restorative yoga — may be especially helpful.
If yoga doesn't help improve your sleep, a good next step involves talking to a doctor or therapist. A trained professional can help identify the cause of your sleep problems and offer more guidance on how to handle them.