What is NSDR and does it work?

We recently learned about NSDR, Non-Sleep Deep Rest, a method of relaxation developed by neuroscientist, Andrew Huberman. NSDR is based on the practice of yoga nidra and can reduce stress and anxiety as well as improve sleep, focus and overall wellbeing by combining controlled breathing with ‘body scans’.

There’s not a huge amount of research on NSDR yet. But there are some documented benefits of yoga nidra. One study found practising yoga nidra over a period of six months was linked to significant reductions in inflammation while another showed how practising yoga nidra over a period of 6 months lowered stress and anxiety levels for participants

Consider it Done’s Digital Marketer, Leanne, tried out NSDR meditations every day for a week and shared her experience of the way the practice affected her sleep and overall sense of wellbeing. Here’s Leanne’s thoughts:

(Short of time at the moment? Scroll to the end for Leanne’s summary.)

“When I read about NSDR, I was really interested to try it. I’ve practised yoga nidra, the form of yoga this is based on, at in-person classes and a few times with recordings, and found it to be relaxing. I’ve meditated off and on for a few years but often find when my brain is ‘busy’, I can end up running through the to-do list in my head and feeling guilty I’m doing the meditation wrong 🤦‍♀️ 

I also get itchy to start ticking things off the to-do list and might abandon the meditation to do something while it’s on my mind.

With yoga nidra, you have a voice guiding you throughout. You’re told to focus on breath and sensation in the body. You’re less likely to get caught up in other thoughts as you place your attention on physical things. 

I bought NSDR.co’s package of 19 meditations for different purposes and times of day for just under £10.

I have a Fitbit which records my sleep data and other aspects of physical wellbeing such as Stress Management score, Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and Resting Heart Rate (RHR). I took snapshots of data from the week before, and monitored how I felt over the week itself. With HRV, a higher score is a good indicator of physical health. A lower resting heart rate is associated with good heart health. (Though it’s good to keep an eye on personal range because too low can mean there’s an issue.)

Day 1 (Sunday)

I did a 10 min introductory ‘Sleep Serenade’ session around bedtime on Sunday evening. It featured a body scan. Woke Monday feeling well-rested. My HRV was low, and my resting heart rate had gone up from the previous day, but I’d had a couple of glasses of wine at our family Mother’s Day meal and always notice this effect when I have alcohol.

Day 2 (Monday)

I tried a different 11 minute session ‘Gentle Slumber’ at bedtime, this time with a woman’s voice. I knew I had to get up a little earlier in the morning for a long day of travel to a family funeral. Usually this would mean I mightn’t sleep very well but on this occasion, I felt good in the morning. My HRV was high at 50 and resting heart rate dropped to 56.

Day 3 (Tuesday)

As a passenger in the car on a long journey, I took the opportunity to do the ‘Energy Elevate’ meditation on the way there. The focus of the meditation is to imagine light filling your body - it felt energising. I find long journeys and meeting lots of people tiring, but today I staved off the fatigue until the journey home. We arrived home around 8pm and collected both mine and my parents' dogs for the night. Getting to bed at 10pm, I did a Drift to Dream session however, I kept getting distracted by the dogs, so I wasn't as focused as I’d like. 

Day 4 (Wednesday)

My Fitbit stress management score has dropped to 79, though I think this is down to a lack of physical movement the previous day. Overall, I slept ok though having my dad’s dog with me meant a couple of interruptions. My resting heart rate stayed the same and HRV dipped, but not excessively. I noticed feeling more focused in my work. My work is very internet based as I work with social media so notifications pop up frequently. I’ve been able to ignore them and stay on task. 

I did a quick Find Focus session during the day to transition between different types of work. The male voice is a little too slow for me and there was around 2 mins preamble that I didn’t feel was necessary. I noticed it was very similar to the first sleep meditation and wondered if that was perhaps a mistake. There’s the option to speed up the tracks so would definitely do this on the male tracks - also a good hack for those who are time-pressed.

In the evening I tried a 30 min sleep meditation called Deep Sleep Journey. I slightly drifted off a few times. It’s probably a shade too long for me - if I have that much free time before sleep I’d rather read a book. 

Day 5 (Thursday)

HRV nudged up in the right direction a little more last night and I’m down to 55 on RHR, despite having a bit of a chesty cough from spending time with my Dad who’s nursing a bad cold. Stress management score is 83/100. I did the evening meditation, Drift to Dream. Again, I drifted off a bit earlier. If nothing else, it’s helped me fall asleep!

Day 6 (Friday)

RHR stayed at 55 while HRV was slightly down. Stress management score nudged up to 84. Slept well, despite still having a bit of illness, my body seems to mostly be shaking it off well. I did Gentle Slumber at bedtime and was asleep before it finished. I’d also had two glasses of wine to close out a long but productive week.

Day 7 (Saturday)

RHR crept up and HRV nosedived to 23 - this is wholly down to the wine. I still had a good night’s sleep which doesn’t always happen after alcohol. I popped the Gentle Slumber track on before bed. My nieces were over for a sleepover (who knew Monopoly was tiring!) so again, I was asleep before it finished. Sunday morning - HRV back up a little and RHR down again. 

Overall observations of a week of NSDR:

• I had more focus and was generally less reactive to daily stress

• No noticeable sleep benefits (but other circumstances were at play)

• Felt good to take the time for myself and the practice was enjoyable

• I often fell asleep before track ended - so useful for those who struggle to fall asleep

• My sleep scores were actually a little worse than the previous ‘control’ week

• I had a higher HRV than the previous week and a lower RHR too so perhaps there were some physical benefits overall. It was only a week after all.

If you find mindfulness meditation tricky but enjoy the benefits of a meditative practice I would recommend giving this a try. There are free resources on YouTube (Dr Andrew Huberman)  or the NSDR.co tracks are very affordable.

If you tried this and found it helpful - we would love to know