New research reveals that Tai Chi and other activities like yoga and walking might be the best natural remedies for curing insomnia
Yoga, Tai Chi, walking, and jogging may be some of the best natural remedies for improving sleep and tackling insomnia, according to new research.
The findings back the use of exercise as a primary treatment strategy for poor sleep patterns, say the researchers.
Characterised by difficulties falling and staying asleep, and early morning awakening, the prevalence of insomnia ranges from 4-22%, note the researchers.
An emerging body of research suggests that exercise is helpful, but current guidelines don’t specify which types of exercise might be most beneficial. The researchers therefore set out to plug this knowledge gap.
They scoured research databases looking for relevant randomized clinical trials published up to April 2025.
They looked at trials that included 13 different treatment approaches to ease insomnia, seven of which were exercise based: yoga; Tai Chi; walking or jogging; aerobic plus strength exercise; strength training alone; aerobic exercise combined with therapy; and mixed aerobic exercises.
They found that yoga results in a large increase in total sleep time of nearly 2 hours and may improve sleep efficiency by nearly 15%. It may also reduce the amount of time spent awake after falling asleep by nearly an hour – and shorten sleep latency by around half an hour.
Meanwhile, Tai Chi may reduce poor sleep quality scores, increase total sleep time by more than 50 minutes, and reduce time spent awake after falling asleep by over half an hour.
Tai Chi emphasises breath control and physical relaxation and has been shown to decrease sympathetic nervous system activity, dampening down hyperarousal, said the research team.
So, if you’re struggling to sleep, get your yoga mat out or follow a simple Tai Chi flow on Youtube – you could soon be drifting off like a baby.
