INSOMNIA TREATMENTS: NATURAL APPROACHES
If you’re struggling with sleepless nights, you might not need to reach for a prescription. New research suggests yoga, Tai Chi, walking, and jogging could be just as powerful as traditional insomnia treatments—and with far fewer side effects.
A central review published in BMJ Evidence Based Medicine looked at dozens of studies comparing different ways to improve sleep. The verdict? Exercise-based interventions, especially Tai Chi, delivered major wins: longer overall sleep, better sleep efficiency, and less time spent staring at the ceiling after waking up in the middle of the night. Yoga in particular helped people feel more rested, and jogging made a real dent in insomnia symptoms.
Insomnia isn’t just frustrating; it’s linked to higher risks for mental and physical health problems, including dementia and heart disease. While cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the gold standard for treatment, it isn’t always easy to access. Medications are common but can come with a laundry list of side effects.
That’s where exercise comes in. The researchers dug through recent clinical trials—22 in total, covering over 1,300 people and 13 different treatments. Seven of those were exercise-based, ranging from yoga and Tai Chi to various types of aerobic and strength workouts. The rest included talk therapy, sleep hygiene tips, traditional medicine, acupuncture, or simply sticking with usual care.
They used standard measures to track sleep quality: How long did people actually sleep? How efficient was their sleep? How many times did they wake up? How quickly did they fall asleep?
CBT still came out strong, helping people sleep longer and more efficiently, and cutting down on time spent awake at night. But exercise held its own—sometimes even outperforming therapy. Yoga, for instance, increased total sleep time by almost two hours and improved efficiency by about 15%. It also helped people fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. Walking or jogging eased insomnia severity, and Tai Chi improved nearly every measure: better sleep quality, longer sleep, fewer awakenings, and shorter time to doze off. Tai Chi’s benefits even lasted up to two years.
Why does this work? Yoga’s mix of movement, breathing, and mindfulness may calm the brain, easing anxiety and depression that often fuel insomnia. Tai Chi’s slow, meditative moves help relax the body and mind, dampen stress, and dial back the body’s “fight or flight” response. Jogging and walking boost energy use, help regulate stress hormones, and even increase melatonin—the hormone that signals bedtime.
There are caveats: many of the studies had small sample sizes or weren’t perfectly designed, and the exact “dose” of exercise that works best is still up for debate. But the results are promising enough that experts say exercise deserves a starring role in treating insomnia—not just as a backup plan.
In short, whether you find peace in downward dog or prefer a sunrise jog, moving your body could be one of the simplest, safest ways to reclaim your nights. And as more research rolls in, we may even be able to match different types of exercise to specific sleep problems for a custom-fit solution.
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