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When the mind is still racing, but the body already wants to sleep
You know the feeling. The day is over, the lights go out, the body is tired, and the mind opens every window of thought at once. What happened, what will happen, what we didn’t get to, what we still should. Sleep seems to be waiting behind the door, but it won’t let you in yet. That is why I love the moments before evening, when the light changes and the sun goes down. The colours soften, the air feels different, and if you allow yourself even a short while to breathe into that moment, the evening takes on a completely different quality. It is enough to pause for a moment, notice the inhale and the exhale, and let the day leave a little with the light. Then falling asleep feels calmer too, less like a fight and more like a natural continuation of the day.
It is exactly in these moments that breath helps me most, as a gentle signal to the body and the mind that they no longer need to run. Today I will share a few breathing tips I use myself when I find it harder to fall asleep. Sleep is not always perfect, but when we at least get closer to the 80/20 rule, we really start to notice changes on both a physical and a mental level. Alongside that, I will also talk about yoga nidra, because these two things often get mixed up. Yoga nidra is not an evening tool for falling asleep. It is more of a conscious rest during the day or in the afternoon, after which you often feel more restored, not sleepier.
Tips for falling asleep more easily
If you remember only one thing, let it be this: the exhale is the gateway to calm. When we are stressed, we breathe quickly and shallowly, and the body stays in a mode where something still needs to be dealt with. When we gently lengthen the exhale, we give the nervous system a signal that it can switch into rest and recovery. In the evening, lying down, try inhaling through the nose completely naturally, without any effort to perform, and exhaling through the nose or through slightly parted lips a little longer. You do not need to count to perfection. It is enough to feel that the exhale is gently longer than the inhale. Three to six repetitions are often enough for the heart rate to slow down and for the body to receive the right message.
If there is too much in the head, an even softer version helps me: inhale through the nose and a slow exhale through slightly parted lips, as if you were cooling hot tea. This exhale has something releasing in it, something between letting out a sigh after a hard day and conscious softening. I do it when I feel that the tension of the day is still held in the body and the thoughts refuse to quiet down. As you do it, notice the belly, the torso and the pelvis, how they soften and expand.
Before sleep, we do not need to breathe correctly the way we might when swimming. We need to breathe in a way that helps the body feel safe. Place one hand on your belly and notice whether it gently rises on the inhale and returns on the exhale. If breathing through the nose feels difficult, do not force it. Breathe in the way that feels comfortable. Softness matters more than technique, especially when you already feel you have had enough of everything. As you breathe, try to keep the lower jaw completely soft, with the tongue resting loosely against the lower teeth, and breathe only gently and slowly.
Sleep cannot be forced. The more we chase it, the more it runs away. Breath reminds me that I do not have to hunt for sleep. I can create the conditions for the body so that sleep can arrive on its own.
Yoga nidra as deep rest during the day
Yoga nidra is often translated as yogic sleep, and from the name it can seem as if it were meant for the night. It is not. Yoga nidra is conscious rest while lying down, during which the body goes into deep release, but the goal is not to fall asleep. Quite the opposite. Many people leave it feeling more restored, calmer, as if they had switched off that inner noise we all carry, and then picked up energy again. That is why I use it during the day or in the afternoon, when I need recovery but not necessarily sleep.
One of the most beautiful things about yoga nidra is the way it guides attention through the body. It is not exercise in the classical sense. It is more like a gentle tour of yourself, of almost every part of the body. Attention moves slowly, rotating through different areas, from the feet to the head or according to the guidance of a recording, and you do not have to do anything. You only notice. Sometimes warmth, sometimes heaviness, sometimes almost nothing. And precisely because the mind is given a clear and simple task of travelling through the body, it stops racing so desperately through the worries of the day. The body softens, the thoughts settle, and you remain aware, even when the state feels close to the edge between waking and sleep.
In one PET study from 2002, researchers observed the brain during yoga nidra and recorded a marked increase in dopamine release in areas linked with motivation and inner reward. There is talk of an increase of around 65 percent compared with the baseline level. The study was small, so it should not be taken as the final truth about everything, but as an interesting sign of why people often do not feel sleepy after this practice, but rather as if they had been recharged with a desire to function again.
EEG measurements during yoga nidra, in turn, show a shift toward theta activity, the waves we know from deep relaxation and from the borderline states before sleep. What is interesting is that part of the brain may enter a mode similar to local sleep, while the person as a whole remains conscious. In other words, the body and brain receive deep rest, but you do not fully switch off. That is why yoga nidra has a different character from a classic nap. It is conscious release without the aim of falling asleep. After yoga nidra, people often leave calm and at the same time functional, which is exactly what you need during the day when you still have something ahead of you. According to newer research, regular yoga nidra practice may also improve night-time sleep and cognitive processing, even when you do it during the day. Daytime recovery therefore does not steal from the night. If anything, it sometimes supports it. Choose what suits you and what works for you. Most days I give myself yoga nidra whenever I can. Right afterwards, a new part of the day begins, and I have the energy to keep going until evening.
If you want to try it with me
I prefer doing yoga nidra with guidance. The voice holds you in the practice, attention knows where to go, and you do not have to do anything except follow the voice. If you would like to try a guided recording, write to me and I will be happy to send it to you. No pressure, no big promises. Just an invitation into a practice that personally helps me regain strength in the middle of the day.
In the evening, a longer exhale helps me. During the day, conscious rest helps me. The body usually knows this very well. It just needs the right tool at the right time. I leave sleep to the night. I leave yoga nidra to the day. And through it all remains the breath, which I always have with me, whether I am going to sleep, or simply lying down for a while and letting attention travel through the body until something in me gently softens.
Wishing you pleasant breathing and easier way into sleep