Most research focuses on practices similar to NSDR, including yoga nidra, meditation, and body scan (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, findings from these related practices provide the best available evidence. “NSDR is more of an umbrella term, but yoga nidra and meditation studies are, more or less, the strongest quantitative evidence in the field,” says Fisher. Research on these techniques suggests NSDR may offer several benefits.
May Reduce Stress
May Improve Cognitive Function and Learning
Rest can also help the brain sort important details from mental noise so later recall comes easier. That’s similar to how sleep strengthens memories, just in a lighter, awake form, says Fisher.
May Support Sleep
NSDR practices such as yoga nidra encourage slow breathing and muscle relaxation, which signal to your body that it’s safe to rest. With regular practice, you can teach your body to intentionally switch from an alert state to a restful state, making it easier to quiet racing thoughts and drift off to sleep.
While these findings are promising, Christina S. McCrae, PhD, a clinical psychologist and the director of the McCrae Sleep Research Lab at the University of South Florida in Tampa, notes that the study was short and included only 41 people. Larger, longer-term studies are needed to assess whether NSDR can improve sleep. In the meantime, 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 lower arousal, creating space to notice negative feelings without getting swept up in them. That pause can reduce rumination (dwelling on negative thoughts and emotions) and make difficult emotions easier to handle, so you can respond more calmly in the moment.
This kind of guided rest is an effective way to build emotion-regulation skills, though research is still in the early stages, says Fink.