What it is, its benefits and how to try it

0 0 2 minutes read

What it is, its benefits and how to try it

Most research focuses on practices similar to NSDR, including yoga nidra, meditation, and body scanning (a mindfulness exercise that involves scanning the body for pain, stiffness, or other sensations). Because NSDR is a relatively new term that rarely appears in clinical research, the results of these related practices provide the best available evidence. “NSDR is more of an umbrella term, but studies of yoga nidra and meditation are, more or less, the strongest quantitative evidence in the field,” Fisher says. Research on these techniques suggests that NSDR can provide several benefits.

May reduce stress

The body’s built-in alarm system (the stress response) helps you react to real threats. It releases stress hormones that increase heart and breathing rates and sharpen concentration. However, it can misfire when daily hassles, persistent worries or past traumas keep it on too often or for too long.

“I liken it to a car alarm that goes off even though no one is actually trying to steal the car,” says Jessica Fink, LCSW-S, a licensed clinical social worker supervisor and sleep specialist in Austin, Texas, who treats insomnia.

This is where NSDR can help calm things down. Research suggests that NSDR practices such as yoga nidra may dampen the stress response by promoting healthier patterns of cortisol (the stress hormone). In a study of 362 adults, those who practiced yoga nidra for 30 minutes more frequently had lower cortisol levels at the end of the study period (measured over two months).

This type of guided relaxation fits perfectly within the framework of NSDR and can be a practical way to relieve stress, says Fink.

May improve cognitive function and learning

Brief periods of waking rest incorporating stillness, slow breathing, and undistracted attention can help new information stick, Fisher says. In one experiment, people who used wakefulness for about 10 minutes after studying remembered later than those who jumped straight into another task.

Rest can also help the brain sort important details from mental noise so that later recall is easier. It’s similar to how sleep reinforces memories, just in a lighter, waking form, Fisher says.

May promote sleep

NSDR practices such as yoga nidra encourage slow breathing and muscle relaxation, which signals your body that it is safe to rest. With regular practice, you can teach your body to intentionally shift from an alert state to a resting state, making it easier to calm racing thoughts and fall asleep.

In a small trial comparing yoga nidra to cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), both improved sleep quality, efficiency, and total duration in people with chronic insomnia. But the yoga nidra group also fell asleep faster and spent more time in deep sleep, which supports memory, cognitive function and physical recovery.

Although these results are promising, Christina S. McCrae, PhD, a clinical psychologist and director of the McCrae Sleep Research Laboratory at the University of South Florida in Tampa, notes that the study was short, involving only 41 people. Larger, longer-term studies are needed to evaluate whether NSDR can improve sleep. Meanwhile, chronic behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) remains the gold standard treatment for chronic insomnia.

May provide emotional and mental health benefits

Slow breathing, body scanning, and guided attention during NSDR help reduce arousal, creating space to notice negative feelings without getting carried away by them. This break can reduce rumination (dwelling on negative thoughts and emotions) and make difficult emotions more manageable, so you can respond more calmly in the moment.

The first evidence confirms this. During a four-week trial, healthcare workers who practiced yoga nidra reported less stress, anxiety, and depression, as well as higher overall well-being, than those who listened to relaxing music.

This type of guided rest is an effective way to develop emotion regulation skills, although the research is still in its early stages, Fink says.

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