Archive · 19 Aug 2025
Exercise May Improve Sleep Quality, Study Finds
If you have trouble sleeping, exercising might help!
A study found that yoga, tai chi, walking, and jogging can improve sleep.
Yoga helped people sleep almost two hours longer and sleep better overall.
Walking and jogging made insomnia less severe.
Tai chi helped people sleep longer and better, too.
Researchers think these exercises are good options because they're cheap, have few side effects, and are easy to do.
They want doctors to start recommending them to help people sleep better.
Study suggests exercise may improve sleep quality for those with insomnia.
Yoga increased total sleep time by nearly 2 hours and improved sleep efficiency.
Walking or jogging reduced insomnia severity by nearly 10 points.
Tai chi reduced poor sleep quality and increased total sleep time by over 50 minutes.
Researchers suggest integrating these exercises into primary care.
- Who
- Researchers from Beijing University of Chinese Medicine conducted a study.
- What
- Study shows exercises like yoga, tai chi, walking, and jogging can improve sleep quality for people with insomnia.
- When
- Findings were published in the journal BMJ Evidence Based Medicine.
- Where
- Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, China conducted the research.
- Why
- To find alternative treatments for insomnia that are accessible and have fewer side effects than drugs.
Current Insomnia Treatments
Alternative Treatments
Drug Treatments
Current Insomnia Treatments
Drug treatments are available.
Alternative Treatments
Drug treatments come with side effects.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Current Insomnia Treatments
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a viable option.
Alternative Treatments
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) isn’t always available due to the shortage of trained therapists.
- Study Focus
- Exercise interventions for insomnia
- Participants
- 1,348
- Trials Analyzed
- 22
- Yoga Benefit
- Increased total sleep time by nearly 2 hours
- Walking Benefit
- Reduced insomnia severity by nearly 10 points
- Tai Chi Benefit
- Increased total sleep time by more than 50 minutes