A new study suggests that certain types of movement can dramatically improve sleep quality and treat insomnia as effectively as traditional therapies.
You can do everything right: keep your phone out of the bedroom, avoid caffeine after noon, even sink into a $4,000 organic mattress, and still find yourself staring at the ceiling at 2 a.m. For many, the real antidote to insomnia isn’t in the linens, but in the limbs. According to a new comparative analysis published in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine, the best remedy for poor sleep might just be movement. And not all movement is created equal.
The study, which reviewed 22 randomized clinical trials involving more than 1,300 participants and 13 different treatments for insomnia, set out to determine which specific types of exercise are most effective for improving sleep quality. Among the contenders: yoga, Tai Chi, walking or jogging, strength training, and several hybrid programs that mix aerobic activity with therapeutic approaches. Researchers also evaluated more conventional treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), sleep hygiene protocols, and Ayurvedic practices.
Exercise > insomnia
Their conclusion? Science now has enough data to recommend exercise not just as an adjunctive wellness tip, but as a primary treatment for insomnia. And among the long list of fitness fixes, three types of movement stand out.
Yoga, perhaps unsurprisingly, ranks high. Study participants who practiced yoga added nearly two hours to their total sleep time, improved their sleep efficiency by nearly 15 percent, reduced the time spent awake after falling asleep by close to an hour, and shortened sleep latency by roughly thirty minutes. These are not small wins. The researchers note that yoga’s focus on body awareness, breath control, and mindfulness could significantly ease the anxiety and restlessness that tend to keep people up at night.
Tai Chi, often dismissed as the sleepy cousin of martial arts, emerged as a quiet powerhouse. It improved all measured outcomes, both subjective and objective, and outperformed existing treatments over two years. It increased total sleep time by over 50 minutes, improved efficiency, and cut time spent awake after falling asleep by more than half an hour. Sleep latency also decreased by approximately 25 minutes. The secret may lie in its meditative rhythm. Tai Chi has been shown to reduce sympathetic nervous system activity — a known driver of hyperarousal — while promoting emotional regulation and decreasing inflammatory markers that disrupt sleep cycles.
Walking or jogging may seem pedestrian by comparison, but it delivered a remarkable reduction in insomnia severity, improving scores by nearly ten points. The hypothesis here is rooted in physiology. Moderate-intensity aerobic activity increases energy expenditure, helps stabilize cortisol levels, enhances melatonin secretion, and improves the depth of sleep — particularly the restorative stages that are so often compromised in people with chronic insomnia.
Why strength training didn’t make the cut
Notably absent from the top performers: strength training, at least when isolated. While previous studies, including a 2024 review published in Family Medicine and Community Health, have shown that resistance workouts improve sleep among older adults, the new analysis did not rank strength training alone as highly as the more rhythmic or aerobic interventions. That said, combining resistance with aerobic exercise yielded some benefits, underscoring the need for personalized plans that account for age, physical condition, and lifestyle.
The implications for treatment guidelines are significant. CBT remains the gold standard for insomnia, consistently improving sleep duration, efficiency, and latency. However, access is limited. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, there is a shortage of trained CBT-I practitioners, making non-pharmaceutical alternatives essential. Exercise, particularly in the forms detailed above, offers a low-cost, scalable, and side-effect-free solution that can be integrated into primary care and public health programming.
Of course, not all of the data is perfect. The researchers note that 15 of the 22 trials included in the analysis had methodological flaws, ranging from small sample sizes to inconsistencies in how exercise interventions were delivered. Standardized metrics for frequency, intensity, and adherence are still lacking, making it difficult to prescribe a universal protocol. Still, the signal is strong enough to suggest a meaningful shift: exercise may no longer be just good for your heart or waistline — it could be the missing link to restorative sleep.
When to exercise for optimal sleep
There are practical considerations as well. Experts recommend that exercise be completed at least four hours before bedtime to avoid elevating core body temperature and cortisol too close to sleep onset. For those integrating mind-body practices like yoga or Tai Chi, earlier sessions may not matter as much. These gentler modalities can even be used as part of a wind-down routine, replacing screens or stimulants with controlled breath and flowing movement.
Pairing these approaches with good sleep hygiene — cool, dark bedrooms; consistent schedules; and limited exposure to blue light — can further amplify the benefits. But the takeaway is simple: when the mind races and the body won’t rest, the solution might be found not in stillness, but in motion.
“The findings of this study further underscore the therapeutic potential of exercise interventions in the treatment of insomnia, suggesting that their role may extend beyond adjunctive support to serve as viable primary treatment options,” the researchers noted.
“Although current clinical guidelines make only limited mention of exercise, this study provides relatively comprehensive comparative evidence that may inform the development of more specific and actionable clinical recommendations,” they wrote, noting Tai Chi, and walking or jogging, are “well-suited for integration into primary care and community health programmes.”
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