The Yoga and Insomnia Study

This study will examine the effects of a 4-week vinyasa yoga program on sleep-related and cardiovascular outcomes using a randomized parallel group design. Following baseline assessments, participants will be randomly assigned into one of the two experimental conditions (i.e., vinyasa yoga, non-active control condition) based on stratification by sex (i.e., male, female) in a 1:1 ratio. All groups will complete an initial in-person experimental session during the early evening: those in the vinyasa yoga group will be guided through a supervised vinyasa yoga session and those in the non-active control group will complete a quiet rest session. Participants will be provided an Actiwatch and heart rate monitor to measure acute experimental effects on sleep and nocturnal heart rate variability. Following the initial supervised session, those in the vinyasa yoga intervention will be provided with a yoga mat and a standardized video and asked to practice 3 times per week for 4 weeks; compliance will be monitored by an online log. The non-active control group will not receive any yoga intervention and will be asked to avoid starting a new exercise routine. Following the 4-week intervention, all participants will complete post-intervention sleep and cardiovascular assessments following the same procedures used at baseline.