HOW YOGA CAN HELP YOU SLEEP BETTER

If you’re lying awake at night with a busy mind, restless body, or that familiar feeling of exhaustion mixed with wired energy, trust me you are not the only one! We all have times like this and poor sleep has become incredibly common — especially for people juggling work, family, social commitments, and the constant pull of screens and notifications.

Improving your sleep doesn’t have to mean overhauling your entire life. Gentle changes, supportive routines, and calming practices like yoga can make a real difference.

As a yoga teacher and wellness practitioner in Burton, I work with many people who feel tired but struggle to switch off. In this post, I’ll share why sleep can feel so difficult, simple sleep hygiene tips you can start using straight away, and how yoga, breathwork, and relaxation practices can support deeper, more restorative rest.

WHY DO WE STRUGGLE TO SLEEP?

Sleep problems often have less to do with “not being tired enough” and more to do with an overactive nervous system.

Modern life encourages us to stay switched on:

• Long workdays and packed schedules

• Screens late into the evening

• Caffeine, stress, and constant mental stimulation

• Little time to truly rest or decompress

When your nervous system is stuck in a state of fight or flight, your body finds it hard to drop into the calm, restorative state needed for sleep. Even when you finally lie down, your mind may keep replaying the day or planning tomorrow.

This is where gentle yoga and relaxation practices become so powerful — they help you practice switching off, rather than expecting your body to magically do it on command.

SIMPLE SLEEP HYGIENE TIPS THAT ACTUALLY WORK

Before we even get to yoga, it’s worth looking at a few foundational habits that support better sleep:

1. REDUCE SCREEN TIME BEFORE BED

   Try to step away from phones, tablets, and laptops at least 30–60 minutes before sleep. The light and stimulation can interfere with melatonin production and keep your brain alert.

   
   

2. EAT EARLIER IN THE EVENING

   Aim to finish eating at least two hours before bed so your body isn’t busy digesting while you’re trying to rest

   
   

3. CREATE WARMTH - THEN COOL

   A warm bath, shower, or hot drink can help you relax. Just make sure you’re not overheating once you get into bed, as being too warm can disrupt sleep.

   
   
   

   

   
   
   

4. LIMIT CAFFEINE AFTER MID-AFTERNOON

   For many people, stopping caffeine around 2–3pm makes a noticeable difference to sleep quality.

   
   

5. GET MORNING LIGHT

   Getting outside in natural daylight earlier in the day helps regulate your circadian rhythm, making it easier to feel sleepy at night.

GENTLE YOGA POSES TO HELP YOU WIND DOWN

You don’t need a full, sweaty yoga class to improve sleep. In fact, slower is better. Some simple, accessible poses you can try in the evening include:

• Legs up the wall – calming, grounding, and supportive for circulation.

  
  

  Sit close to the wall with one hip resting against the wall. Carefully start to lie your upper body on the ground as you swing you legs up the wall. Use your arms and legs to help you shuffle until your bottom is resting against the base of the wall. Allow your legs to lengthen up the wall without holding the muscles. The arms can rest where they want to. As little as 5 minutes here can make a big difference.

  
  

• Gentle seated or lying stretches – focusing on hips, back, and shoulders

  
  

  Gently stretching the hips in bound angle pose or wide leg forward fold can be lovely if you use pillows and blankets to support your body. Gentle shoulder and neck rolls as well as reclined twists are great for releasing tension in muscles that have help and supported us all day.

  
  

• Restorative poses with cushions or bolsters – allowing the body to fully relax

  
  

  A supported savasana pose or gentle bridge pose where you place a pillow underneath the pelvis to gently lift the hips can help the body to wind down before you get into bed. When you've found comfort in a shape, stay there and take some deep relaxing breaths.

Holding poses for longer periods with support gives your nervous system time to settle, signalling to your body that it’s safe to rest. Remember though, winding down isn't a switch. Instead, imagine it as a dimmer switch that with each breath and each relaxation of your muscles, your turning down the lights to rest.

BREATHWORK FOR A BUSY MIND

Breathwork is one of the most effective tools for calming the nervous system before sleep. Simple practices can help reduce mental chatter and bring you back into the present moment, try these:

• Slowing the exhale as much as you feel comfortable to.

• Breathing gently through the nose. Follow your breath from the bottom to top and back again.

• Counting breaths - at the end of each exhale count from 1 to 10. Don't worry if you get lost, just start again back at 1.

  
  

You don’t need anything complicated — consistency and simplicity are key.

MEDITATION FOR SLEEP: KEEP IT SIMPLE

Meditation before bed doesn’t need to be intense or complicated. Often, the most effective practice is simply watching the breath - allow your attention to rest on:

• The feeling of air moving in and out.

• The rise and fall of the body.

• The sensation of being supported by the floor or bed.

If your mind wanders, gently bring it back — no judgement needed. This practice alone can be deeply soothing.

Another really effective tool is yoga nidra, also known as "yogic sleep," a type of guided meditation. Many people use this to help them wind down and drift off to sleep. Try our mini Deep Rest with Yoga Nidra online course that includes four yoga nidra meditations to help you drift off without any effort.

HOW YOGA CLASSES IN BURTON CAN SUPPORT BETTER SLEEP

Attending regular yoga classes can help you build these calming skills over time. In Burton, I offer and teach practices that are specifically designed to support rest and relaxation, including:

• Yin yoga

• Restorative yoga

• Stretch and meditate classes

• Breathwork and guided relaxation

• Meditation classes

These classes help train your nervous system to slow down — making it easier to rest not just at night, but throughout daily life.

BEYOND CLASSES: WORKSHOPS, SOUND BATHS & REIKI

For deeper rest, many people find additional practices helpful:

• Sound baths to encourage deep relaxatio

• Reiki sessions to support balance and calm

• Seasonal workshops focused on slowing down and restoring energy

These experiences offer space to truly pause — something that’s often missing in everyday routines.

SLEEP IS A PRACTICE, NOT A SWITCH

One of the biggest myths around sleep is that we should just be able to “switch off”. In reality, rest is something we practice — just like movement, strength, or flexibility.

Yoga, breathwork, meditation, sound, and energy-based practices all support your body’s natural ability to rest when given the right conditions.

If you’re looking to improve your sleep in Burton, gentle yoga and nervous-system-friendly practices can be a powerful place to start.

READY TO REST MORE DEEPLY?

If you’d like to explore:

• Weekly calming yoga classes

• One-to-one yoga tailored to sleep and stress

• Workshops, sound baths, or Reiki

you’re very welcome to get in touch or explore what’s currently available.

Rest is not a luxury — it’s a skill worth nurturing.

Helen

Helen is the founder of Roots & Reeds - Yoga and Wellness. She is a yoga teacher, breath coach and wellbeing practitioner based in Burton and Derbyshire. She specialises in restorative practices that soothe the nervous system and support people in slowing, reconnecting and finding calm in everyday life. Through yoga, breathwork, meditation, Reiki and sound, she helps people build grounded, sustainable wellbeing that feels accessible and real.