A GROUNDBREAKING analysis reports that yoga may not offer unique advantages for improving sleep among women with urinary incontinence, despite widespread recommendations that the practice can help adults with chronic conditions sleep better.
Participants Divided into Yoga and Exercise Groups for Comparison
The findings come from a prespecified secondary analysis of a multicentre randomised clinical trial conducted between 2018 and 2022 at three Northern California sites. The trial included 240 women aged 45 to 90 who experienced daily urinary incontinence. Participants were randomly assigned to either a three-month hatha yoga program or a time-matched nonspecific physical conditioning regimen. Both interventions involved twice-weekly group classes and a weekly self-directed session, delivered in person or via videoconference after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Researchers assessed sleep quality and disruption using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Diary, and monitored nighttime incontinence and voiding frequency through participant diaries. More than half of the women, about 55%, reported poor sleep at the start of the study, and a similar proportion awoke at least once nightly to urinate.
Yoga and Sleep: Study Finds No Added Benefit
After three months, both groups showed modest improvements in sleep, but yoga did not outperform the general exercise program. PSQI scores improved by an average of 0.37 points in the yoga group compared with 0.66 points in the conditioning group, a difference researchers deemed statistically insignificant. Measures of sleep disruption, including wakefulness after sleep onset, followed a similar pattern: the yoga group saw an average improvement of 3.8 minutes, while the exercise group improved by about seven minutes, also not a meaningful difference.
The analysis highlighted that nighttime bathroom trips, regardless of group assignment, were strongly linked to poorer sleep. Participants who woke to urinate twice or more per night had significantly worse PSQI scores than those with fewer than one nightly voiding episode.
Overall, the study concludes that yoga does not provide superior sleep benefits compared with other forms of exercise for women managing urinary incontinence. The results suggest that while physical activity may help, yoga’s widely touted sleep advantages may not be unique.
Reference
Hough E et al. Effects of Hatha Yoga vs Physical Conditioning on Sleep in Women With Urinary Incontinence. JAMA Netw Open. 2025;8:12
