Yoga Nidra in recovery

Why sleep is so hard in early recovery

Sleep problems are common in early recovery, and they're not in your head. Among people withdrawing from alcohol, surveys have found sleep disturbance in the majority of patients, and insomnia can persist for as long as three years into recovery.^[1] Researchers have long linked poor sleep in recovery with higher relapse risk, partly because people who once drank to sleep may be tempted to again.^[2]

At the same time, many clinicians are cautious about sleep medication in recovery, since some sleep aids carry their own risk of dependence. That leaves a real gap: people need rest, and the options are limited.

What Yoga Nidra offers

A drug-free way downA practice you can use at bedtime, at 3am, or in a craving-heavy hour of the afternoon, with no side effects and no risk of dependence.
Better sleep, based on early evidenceIn a trial of adults with chronic insomnia, both Yoga Nidra and CBT-I improved sleep, and the Yoga Nidra group also gained deep sleep.^[3] It wasn't a recovery-specific study, but insomnia is insomnia.
A body that feels safe againMany people in recovery have learned to leave their bodies. Yoga Nidra practises coming back to physical sensation slowly, one small point at a time, with permission to stop whenever you need to.
Structure without effortThe same sequence every time becomes something familiar to lean on, which suits the routine that early recovery depends on.

To be clear about the evidence: there's good research on sleep in recovery and encouraging research on Yoga Nidra and sleep, but very little research on Yoga Nidra in addiction recovery specifically. I offer it as support alongside treatment and mutual aid, never instead of them.

How I adapt the practice

I'm a CCAR-trained recovery coach as well as a Yoga Nidra teacher, and I adapt the practice for recovery in a few ways:

You're always in controlEvery instruction is an invitation. Eyes can stay open, you can move, and you can stop.
Nothing is forced to the surfaceI avoid imagery and prompts that push toward difficult memories, and keep the focus on the body and breath.
Shorter to startTen-minute practices first. Long stillness can feel uncomfortable before it feels restful.
It works with any pathwayTwelve-step, SMART, medication-assisted, faith-based or your own. Recovery happens by many pathways,^[4] and rest supports all of them.

Recovery coaching & companion support

If you're withdrawing from alcohol or certain medications, please do it with medical supervision, since withdrawal can be dangerous. In a crisis, call or text 988 in the US, CVV at 188 in Brazil, or your local emergency number.

Sources

Review of sleep disturbance in alcohol use disorder, including persistence of insomnia into recovery. PMC7722668
Brower KJ, Aldrich MS, Robinson EA, et al. Insomnia, self-medication, and relapse to alcoholism. American Journal of Psychiatry. 2001;158(3):399–404.
Datta K, Tripathi M, Verma M, Masiwal D, Mallick HN. Yoga nidra practice shows improvement in sleep in patients with chronic insomnia: a randomized controlled trial. National Medical Journal of India. 2021;34(3):143–150. Full text
SAMHSA. SAMHSA’s working definition of recovery: 10 guiding principles of recovery (PEP12-RECDEF). 2012. PDF

Practice with me

Rest together, once a week

A live Yoga Nidra session on Google Meet, every Wednesday at 8 pm Eastern. It's free while it's getting started. Book a spot and the link comes to your inbox.

Join free weekly Wednesdays Try a free recording