Effects of a Single-Evening Yoga Session on Sleep in US Adults With Insomnia Symptoms
Vinyasa yoga (VY), a form of yoga shown to meet guidelines for moderate physical activity, has been sparsely studied for its effects on sleep and autonomic function among adults with insomnia. In this study, we examine the effects of an acute evening VY session on sleep and nocturnal heart rate variability (HRV), a measure of cardiovascular autonomic function, in adults with insomnia symptoms. Thirty-three insufficiently active US adults (84.8% female; 78.8% White; age = 34.9 ± 10.6 years; body mass index = 28.9 kg/m2) with at least mild insomnia symptoms (Insomnia Severity Index ≥ 10) were randomized to either a single 60-minute session of VY (n = 17) or a quiet rest control condition (CON: n = 16). One night before and after the acute experimental session, participants wore a wrist accelerometer and chest heart rate monitor overnight and completed a sleep diary. Analyses compared presession with postsession changes in sleep and HRV between groups using linear mixed models and Cohen’s d effect sizes. The change in actigraphy-assessed sleep efficiency (SE) and total sleep time (TST) did not differ from presession to postsession for VY (SE: 88.9 ± 5.7% to 88.9 ± 6.2%; TST: 434.08 ± 79.4 minutes to 428.30 ± 98.1 minutes) or CON (SE: 89.4 ± 5.7% to 88.7 ± 6.5%; TST: 425.44 ± 79.3 minutes versus 391.90 ± 101.5 minutes); group × time interactions were not statistically significant (each P > 0.48). No significant differences were found between groups in nocturnal root mean square of successive differences HRV (P = 0.94). An acute bout of VY performed in the early evening did not significantly change accelerometer- or diary-assessed sleep or impact cardiovascular autonomic function during sleep.Background:
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Summary of participant flow through the study. ISI = Insomnia Severity Index.
Contributor Notes
Conflicts of Interest and Source of Funding: Sally A. Sherman is an ambassador for lululemon.