Embraced a 10-Minute Yoga Routine Instead of Nightly Screen Time - Unbelievable Transformation in My Well-being
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In the pursuit of a good night's sleep, many have turned to pre-bed yoga as a nightly reset. This practice, consisting of gentle, restorative, and floor-based poses, has been endorsed by sound practitioners and yoga instructors alike.
Nancy Trueman, founder of True North Studio in London, and Eloise Skinner, an author and yoga instructor at Third Space London, are among those who advocate for yoga as a means to improve sleep quality. The author of this article embarked on a week-long journey to experience the benefits of pre-bed yoga.
The author practiced 10 minutes of pre-bed yoga every night, using the Girlfriend Collective ultra-soft, sweat-wicking tank for comfort. The routine included poses such as Balasana (Child’s Pose), Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclined Bound Angle Pose), Shavasana (Corpse Pose), Legs Up the Wall Pose (Viparita Karani), and Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana).
By day six, the author was falling asleep almost as soon as their head hit the pillow. The author's Oura ring showed consistently lower sleep latency and longer deep sleep phases, indicating a significant improvement in sleep quality. On day seven, the author felt more productive and less brain-fogged upon waking up.
The author added Reclining Butterfly and Happy Baby Pose to the routine on days four to seven. By day ten, the author's sleep latency dropped significantly, from 20 to 30 minutes to just a few minutes.
Restorative yoga postures, such as Legs Up the Wall, Reclined Bound Angle, and Supported Child's Pose, calm the nervous system and release tension, helping to shift into the parasympathetic "rest-and-digest" state for deep, quality sleep. This is particularly beneficial as a countermeasure to the overstimulation caused by screen time and stress.
A 2020 report found that 73% of adults admit to scrolling their phones within 30 minutes of bedtime, a habit linked to disrupted melatonin production and increased sleep latency. The author plans to limit evening scrolls to one or two nights a week and practice pre-bed yoga on the other nights.
Pre-bed yoga is suitable for almost anyone, focusing more on allowing the body to settle rather than flexibility. It's important to practice right before bed, but not feeling rushed, and yoga shouldn't feel like another task to tick off before sleep.
For the pre-bed yoga practice, the author recommends the Sweaty Betty Balance Yoga Mat due to its dual-sided grip and cushioned support. Studies have also linked phone scrolling before bed to disrupted melatonin production and increased sleep latency.
A 2025 review in Frontiers in Neurology reported sleep quality gains of up to 16% after short, regular evening yoga practices, suggesting that pre-bed yoga could be a simple, effective solution for improving sleep quality.
- The addition of Reclining Butterfly and Happy Baby Pose to the pre-bed yoga routine led to a significant reduction in sleep latency for the author.
- Incorporating styles like Reclined Bound Angle, Supported Child's Pose, and Legs Up the Wall into one's pre-bed routine can help calm the nervous system, release tension, and promote deep, quality sleep.
- The practice of pre-bed yoga can be beneficial in counteracting the overstimulation caused by screen time and stress, as it helps shift the body into the parasympathetic "rest-and-digest" state for better sleep.
- The author, inspired by yoga instructors like Nancy Trueman and Eloise Skinner, used a Sweaty Betty Balance Yoga Mat for comfort during their pre-bed yoga practice.
- Adopting pre-bed yoga as part of a health-and-wellness routine, coupled with good mental-health practices, could lead to improved sleep quality, as indicated by scientific findings.
