A new study finds that practicing a guided meditation known as yoga nidra can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. The research, published in the journal Stress and Health, also shows that even short, 11-minute daily sessions can produce measurable changes in the body’s primary stress hormone, while longer 30-minute sessions may offer additional benefits for mindfulness and physiological regulation.

Yoga nidra, sometimes called “yogic sleep,” is a guided meditation technique that brings practitioners into a deeply relaxed state while remaining conscious. The practice typically involves lying down, slowing the breath, setting intentions, and moving through stages of body awareness and imagery. In recent years, it has gained popularity under the label “non-sleep deep rest” and has been studied for its effects on emotional regulation, sleep, and anxiety. Although past studies suggested psychological benefits, researchers wanted to determine whether yoga nidra could also change physiological markers of stress, like cortisol, especially in a large, well-controlled study.

“I practice yoga nidra myself almost daily and find it incredibly helpful—not only for calming down, but also for gaining clarity and creative ideas through that short, conscious pause,” said study author Esther N. Moszeik, a research associate at the University of the Bundeswehr Munich.

“In a previous study, we had already found that even 11 minutes of yoga nidra improved subjective sleep quality and mood. This follow-up study was designed to go one step further: we included biological stress markers, compared two yoga nidra formats, and added an active control group with music to better isolate the effects. I was also curious whether individual personality traits might influence who benefits most from which version—and how we find better matches between people and interventions.”

The researchers focused on cortisol, the body’s main stress hormone. The natural daily rhythm of cortisol, including a sharp rise upon waking and a gradual decline throughout the day, is a key indicator of the body’s stress response system. Deviations from this pattern have been linked to chronic stress and mental health issues. The research team set out to determine if yoga nidra could help regulate this biological rhythm and improve psychological well-being at the same time.

To investigate these questions, the researchers conducted an online randomized controlled trial. They recruited a large sample of 362 German-speaking adults and randomly assigned them to one of four groups. The first experimental group practiced an 11-minute version of yoga nidra. The second experimental group practiced a longer, 30-minute version.

To see if yoga nidra had unique effects beyond simple relaxation, a third group served as an active control, listening to 10 minutes of calming instrumental music. A fourth group was a waitlist control, receiving no intervention during the study period, which served as a baseline for comparison. Participants in the intervention groups were asked to engage in their assigned practice, ideally daily, for two months using pre-recorded audio files.

To measure the effects, all participants completed a series of online questionnaires before the intervention began, immediately after the two-month period, and again at a three-month follow-up to assess any lasting changes. These questionnaires measured perceived stress, symptoms of anxiety and depression, the tendency to ruminate on negative thoughts, overall satisfaction with life, and sleep quality. They also assessed five different facets of mindfulness, such as the ability to act with awareness and accept thoughts without judgment.

In addition, a subset of 229 participants provided saliva samples to measure their cortisol levels. They collected five samples at specific times over two consecutive days, which allowed the researchers to map each person’s daily cortisol pattern, including the morning rise and the slope of decline throughout the day.

The results of the study revealed that both forms of yoga nidra had a positive impact on mental health. When compared to the waitlist control group, the 11-minute yoga nidra practice led to reductions in stress, anxiety, depression, and rumination. Participants in this group also reported an increase in their satisfaction with life.

While these effects were statistically significant, they were small in size, representing improvements of about 8% to 16% of a standard deviation. However, even small effects can be meaningful when they come from a low-cost, easily accessible intervention. When compared against the active control group that listened to music, the 11-minute yoga nidra practice showed a distinct advantage in one area: it significantly reduced symptoms of depression.

“One surprise was that even the brief 11-minute meditation produced noticeable benefits – we often assume longer is better, but the short daily practice made a difference,” Moszeik told PsyPost. “We also found hints that not everyone responds in the same way: certain personality traits seemed to amplify the benefits of the meditation: for example, very conscientious individuals showed bigger gains than others and people high in neuroticism appeared to benefit especially strongly from the longer, 30-minute sessions.”

When comparing the two lengths of yoga nidra, the researchers found that the 30-minute version was not universally superior to the 11-minute one. The main difference was that the longer practice led to a greater increase in one specific facet of mindfulness known as “acting with awareness.” This refers to the ability to remain focused on one’s present actions and be less easily distracted.

However, the 30-minute practice did show broader benefits when compared to the control groups. For example, when compared to the waitlist group, the 30-minute session produced significant reductions in stress, anxiety, depression, rumination, and sleep disturbances. It also produced a noteworthy biological change: it resulted in a flatter cortisol awakening response. This means the typical sharp spike of the stress hormone in the morning was less pronounced, suggesting a more relaxed start to the day and less anticipatory stress.

For participants in the 11-minute group, practicing more frequently was associated with changes in their cortisol patterns. Regular practice was linked to a reduction in total cortisol output throughout the day and a steeper decline in the hormone from morning to evening, a pattern generally associated with better health and well-being. This suggests that consistency is a key component for achieving biological benefits, even with a very short practice.

For the 30-minute group, more frequent practice was associated with reduced rumination and increased mindfulness, but it was also linked to a higher cortisol awakening response. The researchers speculate that for those engaging in longer, more regular practice, the meditation may transition from being primarily relaxing to being more energizing or activating over time.

“The main takeaway is that a simple daily relaxation practice like yoga nidra can have real, measurable benefits for your well-being,” Moszeik said. “We observed small but meaningful improvements in stress and mood for people who practiced yoga nidra compared to those who didn’t, and even their cortisol (a key stress hormone) showed a healthier daily rhythm. It’s important to know that cortisol isn’t purely ‘bad’ – in fact, we need it to wake up and get energized – but chronic stress can throw its cycle out of balance. Our findings suggest that taking just a few minutes to deeply relax each day helps keep your cortisol levels in a better balance over the day, which is linked to feeling calmer and more resilient.”

The study has several strengths, including its large and diverse sample, the use of a randomized controlled design with an active control group, and the inclusion of a biological marker for stress. Administering the intervention online also demonstrates its potential for widespread, low-cost implementation. However, the study also has some limitations. The online format meant that participants did not receive personal guidance or support, which can be an important part of learning a new meditation practice.

“The improvements we saw were statistically significant but quite small in magnitude,” Moszeik noted. “In other words, yoga nidra isn’t a quick fix or miracle cure – it’s more like a gentle and steady nudge toward feeling better. Another limitation is that our study relied on participants practicing on their own at home, so we had to trust their self-reports about how often and how well they did the meditation. We also mainly studied healthy adults who were interested enough to sign up for a meditation trial, which means the results might not generalize to everyone. Finally, while we did include a follow-up, we only tracked outcomes for a few months, so we don’t yet know how durable these effects are in the long run.”

Looking ahead, the research team aims to build on these findings by exploring how to personalize these kinds of interventions.

“Our results hinted that factors like personality could moderate how much someone benefits, so one next step is to figure out which types of people respond best to which techniques,” Moszeik explained. “For instance, maybe some individuals thrive with a short daily practice while others need a longer session or a different kind of meditation – understanding those differences can help tailor stress-management programs to the person.

“We’re also interested in seeing what happens if people continue practicing yoga nidra beyond two months: Do the benefits accumulate or reach a plateau? And do these changes in cortisol and well-being translate into tangible health outcomes (like better sleep, focus, or fewer stress-related symptoms) over time? Ultimately, our goal is to make mind-body interventions like this as effective and accessible as possible, by learning how to match the right practice to the right person.”

“I’d add that it was encouraging to see both the short and long versions of yoga nidra have benefits, which means people can choose what fits their schedule and still gain something,” Moszeik said. “Even a brief 11-minute daily routine was enough to improve some mental health measures, especially for parents, people in leadership positions, and older men. On the other hand, the 30-minute version did provide a bit of an extra boost in certain areas – for example, it seemed to further calm the spike of cortisol we normally get after waking up in the morning.”

“So, there’s flexibility: you don’t necessarily need a huge time commitment to help manage stress, but if you can set aside a bit longer, you might see additional advantages. Overall, we hope this study shows that taking time out for deep relaxation isn’t just a nice indulgence – it’s a practical tool that can make a positive difference in your daily life.”

The study, “The Effects of an Online Yoga Nidra Meditation on Subjective Well-Being and Diurnal Salivary Cortisol: A Randomised Controlled Trial,” was authored by Esther N. Moszeik, Nicolas Rohleder, and Karl-Heinz Renner.