When Sleep Feels Elusive: A Yogic Approach to Rest

Victorian London Street at night under gaslight, oil painting by John Atkinson Grimshaw

I’ve been really struggling to get off to sleep recently, often lying awake and staring at the ceiling for what feels like hours. I’m fairly sure it’s the result of a particularly busy, overthinking mind — one that seems to run at a hundred miles an hour. Sound familiar?

I recently learned that Charles Dickens went through a period of insomnia. Rather than tossing and turning in bed, he would get up after midnight and walk the streets of London, returning home tired and ready for sleep at sunrise. He later wrote an essay about this experience called Night Walks — which I highly recommend.

Much as I love walking, roaming the streets of London all night isn’t quite my activity of choice, (especially as I live in Surrey!). What is available to me, though, are the tools and techniques that yoga offers — ways to gently calm a hyper‑aroused nervous system and create the conditions for rest.

Sleep is a vital resource. It restores and replenishes us on every level and forms the foundation of our overall health. Sleep affects our metabolism, immunity, memory, learning, creativity, mood, emotional regulation, coordination, and physiological function throughout life. During sleep, the body is busy repairing tissues and restoring its interrelated systems — cognitive, cardiovascular, endocrine, musculoskeletal, respiratory, digestive, urinary and reproductive.

Most of us have experienced the effects of a poor night’s sleep: fuzzy thinking, poor decision‑making, low mood, reduced stamina and coordination the following day. Over time, chronic sleep disruption can have a deeper impact on wellbeing and may increase susceptibility to illness.

Sleep saboteurs — what interferes with a good night’s sleep?

One of the main factors that interferes with sleep is hyper‑arousal of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). When this system is dominant, stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol are released. The SNS excites and activates the body and brain, preparing us for action. Heart rate increases, breathing becomes quicker, muscles tense, and we become more alert and vigilant.

This state is helpful if we’re facing a genuine threat — but not when we’re trying to fall asleep. Hyper‑arousal keeps the system ‘revved up’, making it difficult to settle and rest.

In contrast, the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) is dominant when we are resting and sleeping. In this state the heart rate slows, breathing becomes deeper and calmer, muscles relax and feel‑good hormones are released. The PNS supports restoration, repair and recovery.

If, like me, you’re struggling with sleep, it can be helpful to gently re‑learn how to relax fully and deeply — encouraging the parasympathetic nervous system to take the lead before bedtime.

Common sleep saboteurs include physical pain, stimulants, stress, muscular tension and an overthinking mind — all of which stimulate the SNS and prevent us from settling.

So how can we support the parasympathetic nervous system before bed?

1. Physical practice

Tension in the body sends a message to the brain that we are under threat. The whole system responds by tightening further, creating a feedback loop of stress. Gentle yoga postures and mindful movement can help dismantle this ‘stressed body’ and replace it with a signal of safety and ease.

Soft opening of the chest, stretching the intercostal muscles between the ribs, and activating the slow‑acting stretch receptors in the lungs can encourage a sense of openness and calm. This supports parasympathetic dominance and prepares the body for rest.

Many people with sleep difficulties live with chronic low‑level tension or ongoing hyper‑arousal. The Simple Sleep Sequence outlined in Lisa Sanfilippo’s Yoga Therapy for Insomnia and Sleep Recovery is a short but effective practice designed to release tension hotspots and prepare the body for sleep. It’s a sequence I often recommend to clients.

When to practise the sleep sequence:

• Within two hours of going to bed (the closer to bedtime, the better)

• If unable to fall asleep after twenty minutes in bed

• If you wake during the night and don’t fall back asleep within twenty minutes

2. The breath

Fast, shallow breathing patterns are characteristic of the sympathetic nervous system and are not conducive to sleep. Calming breathing practices help switch off the SNS and invite the PNS to dominate. These practices slow the breath, lower the heart rate and signal safety to the brain.

When to practise breathing techniques:

• After the sleep sequence, just before bed (or in bed)

• If unable to sleep after twenty minutes

• If waking during the night

Abdominal breathing

Come into a comfortable seated or lying position. Rest your palms on the abdomen with the middle fingers touching just above the navel. Allow the breath to settle naturally.

As you inhale, feel the belly gently swell into the hands. As you exhale, feel the belly soften and fall back. Focus on the rising and falling of the belly on the inhale and exhale. Continue for a minimum of 5 minutes, or longer if possible. Take care not to force the breath.

Left nostril breathing (Chandra Bhedana)

This practice involves, closing the right nostril with the right thumb and then inhaling and exhaling through the left nostril only, which is associated with calming, parasympathetic activity.

Continue breathing in this way for a minimum of 5 minutes, or longer if possible

3. Yoga Nidra — yogic sleep

Yoga Nidra translates as ‘yogic sleep’. It guides you into a liminal state — somewhere between wakefulness and deep sleep — allowing profound relaxation of body and mind. I personally use Yoga Nidra when my sleep feels disturbed.

A recommended practice is Yoga Nidra for a Good Night’s Sleep by Nirlipta, available free via the Yoga Nidra Network:https://www.yoganidranetwork.org/mp3/yoga-nidra-good-night-sleep

Please note: Yoga Nidra is not recommended for those with very low blood pressure, schizophrenia, or a fear of relaxation.

4. Good sleep hygiene

Small changes to daily habits and the sleep environment can have a surprisingly powerful effect.

Key points include:

• Go to bed only when sleepy

• If unable to sleep within twenty minutes, get out of bed until sleepy again

• Wake up at the same time each morning

• Get natural daylight exposure during the day

• Minimise daytime napping

• Avoid caffeine from midday onwards

• Finish meals three to four hours before bed

• Reduce bright light exposure in the evening

• Switch off screens at least one hour before bed

• Avoid alcohol and late‑day exercise

• Engage in calming activities in the evening

• Keep the bedroom dark, cool, quiet and comfortable

As with most things, sleep cannot be forced — but it can be invited. By gently supporting the relaxing of the nervous system, we give ourselves the best possible conditions for sleep to arrive in its own time. My hope is that these simple tools offer you a little more ease, softness and rest — both on and off the mat.

Goodnight, sleep tight.

Sources & Further Reading

• Dickens, Charles — Night Walks (1860). An essay written during a period of insomnia, reflecting on walking the streets of London at night.

• Sanfilippo, Lisa — Yoga Therapy for Insomnia and Sleep Recovery. A comprehensive and practical resource exploring yogic tools to support healthy sleep.

• The Yoga Nidra Network — www.yoganidranetwork.org A non-profit organisation offering free and accessible Yoga Nidra practices, including Yoga Nidra for a Good Night’s Sleep by Nirlipta.