Yoga guide
Back and neck pain, stress and poor sleep are common in nursing, and much of it comes from the work itself: moving and handling patients, long shifts on your feet, heavy workloads with little control, and night shifts. Yoga can help with part of that. In small trials in nurses, regular yoga lowered how stressed and exhausted people felt and improved sleep quality, and in night-shift nurses 5 to 15 minutes of supported restorative poses a few times a week eased stress. The trials are small, and the effects were measured over weeks, not years.
Yoga doesn't make lifting a patient safe, and it isn't a substitute for hoists and other equipment, enough staff, proper breaks, your employer's moving and handling training, occupational health or mental health care. Back pain or burnout from the job isn't a sign that you lifted badly or didn't cope. This guide applies to midwives, healthcare assistants and care workers too.
It covers why nurses' backs and minds take the strain and what employers must do, what the evidence shows for stress, burnout, back pain and sleep, long shifts on your feet, night shifts, short practices at work and pregnancy at work, with a free 20-minute after-shift class and the warning signs.
About 3 in 4 nurses report a work-related muscle or joint problem in a year, the lower back most, then the neck and shoulders. Moving and handling patients carries the highest risk whatever your technique, and high demands with little control add to it. The World Health Organization (WHO) describes burnout as coming from workplace stress that hasn't been managed, not a medical condition and not a personal failing.
UK law requires employers to avoid manual handling that risks injury where they reasonably can, and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) says no-one should routinely lift patients by hand. Safe handling programmes with hoists and other equipment cut injuries; training in lifting technique on its own hasn't prevented back pain. Yoga doesn't make lifting a patient safe.
In small trials in nurses, yoga lowered self-rated work stress and exhaustion and improved sleep quality. A Cochrane review of healthcare workers rates relaxation-type approaches, yoga among them, as possibly helpful in the short term, with low certainty, and says long-term effects are unknown.
Exercise eased nursing staff's back pain by a small amount across 9 trials. Yoga helps back pain about as much as other exercise, and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) suggests considering a group exercise programme, which can include yoga.
About 45% of nurses have shift work disorder. Exercise looks promising for shift workers' sleep, but the trials are weak. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) advises avoiding vigorous exercise before sleep, so after a night shift a few supported, lying poses and slow breathing fit best.
NICE asks employers to put changes at work first and to offer yoga, mindfulness or meditation as well. Breaks, equipment, enough staff, occupational health and mental health care come first; our 20-minute class is for after a shift.
Across 42 studies of 36,934 nurses, 77.2% reported a work-related musculoskeletal disorder in the past year: the lower back 59.5%, the neck 53.0% and the shoulder 46.8%. The studies varied a lot, so read these as a sign that most nurses are affected in most years, not as exact rates.
Source 1
A review of 89 studies found nursing duties raised the risk of back problems regardless of technique, personal characteristics or life outside work. Patient handling carried the highest risk, and no safe threshold of nursing work has been found.
Source 2
High demands with little control went with more low back pain (odds about 1.5 times as high), and effort that isn't matched by reward went with pain anywhere in the body, in studies of hospital nurses and aides. The HSE names demands, control, support, relationships, role and change as the six areas that lead to work-related stress if they aren't managed.
Nurses walked an average of 9,360 steps (5.79 km) in a 9.4-hour shift in one Korean study. Standing for more than 4 hours a day went with low back symptoms in a review, though the authors called this tentative. Mats, sit-stand chairs, good shoes and compression stockings are the aids suggested.
The WHO defines burn-out as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed, with exhaustion, distance from your job and feeling less effective at work. It says burn-out is not classified as a medical condition.
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Our Pilates for nurses guide covers moving and handling in more detail.
Under the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, employers must avoid manual handling that risks injury where it's reasonably practicable, then assess and reduce the risk of the rest. The HSE lists the equipment that helps, from hoists and slide sheets to profiling beds.
The RCN says "No-one should be routinely manually moving or lifting patients or heavy objects." The NHS Staff Council says no one in health or care work should need to put their own safety at risk when moving patients, and that "General fitness is not always a guarantee against injury".
Safe patient handling programmes, with equipment and policy, were followed by fewer injuries across 44 sites (injuries fell to less than half), mostly in before-and-after studies. In a Cochrane review, advice and training in lifting technique, with or without lifting aids, didn't prevent back pain.
If pain or exhaustion comes from handling without equipment, short staffing or missed breaks, report it through your employer's system and talk to occupational health, your manager or your union representative. These are your employer's duties, and yoga doesn't change them (our suggestion).
Every trial below was small, unblinded and measured how people rated their own stress or sleep, mostly against no yoga at all. No yoga study in nurses counted injuries, sick days or patient care (our searches, 1 November 2026).
In 120 Chinese nurses, yoga at least twice a week for 50 to 60 minutes after work for 6 months went with better sleep quality and lower work stress. In 40 US nurses, 8 weekly sessions lowered emotional exhaustion. Weekly classes for 12 weeks lowered work stress in 60 mental health professionals, and weekly mindfulness-based yoga helped 80 nurses and other health staff. In a 12-week trial in 113 nursing staff, stress was lower with yoga, but most of the yoga group dropped out before the end.
Pooled across 3 small trials in 195 nurses, yoga lowered emotional exhaustion by a moderate amount. One of the three was laughter yoga, so three trials can't settle the question. A 2026 review of 63 studies found mindfulness and yoga programmes gave the most consistent improvements in nurses' exhaustion; a correction to it has been published that we couldn't read.
A Cochrane review of 117 trials in 11,119 healthcare workers found approaches that take your attention away from stress, such as relaxation, exercise and yoga, may lower stress in the short term, about 7 points less on a 54-point exhaustion scale, with low certainty; long-term effects are unknown. In 7 yoga trials, yoga lowered occupational stress against no intervention. None of 18 studies of physical activity for health staff's stress was rated high quality.
Home exercise from apps, including yoga, interval training and running, eased depressive symptoms and two parts of burnout in 288 healthcare workers over 12 weeks, though most stopped doing it. Mindfulness that faces stress head-on worked about as well as approaches that take your mind off it. Pick the practice you'll keep up.
In 88 Indian nurses with chronic low back pain, yoga improved quality of life a little more than a physical exercise programme over 6 weeks; in 91 Turkish nurses, 4 weeks of yoga eased pain within the group, but the report gives no comparison with the control group. Exercise of any kind eased nursing staff's back pain by a small amount across 9 trials.
In the Cochrane review of 21 trials, yoga made a small difference to back pain and everyday function compared with no exercise, smaller than most people would notice, and about the same as other back exercise. NICE suggests considering a group exercise programme, which can be mind-body exercise such as yoga.
In the general population, exercise combined with education cut the risk of a new episode of low back pain by about 45%; education alone, back belts and insoles didn't help. No yoga trial has counted back injuries in nurses. Equipment and safe handling programmes, not technique training alone, cut handling injuries.
Across 94 trials, yoga was about as safe as usual care or other exercise; minor problems such as aches were more common than with education alone.
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NICE asks employers to use organisational approaches as the foundation for mental wellbeing at work, then to offer all staff mindfulness, yoga or meditation on an ongoing basis. Burnout comes from workplace stress that hasn't been managed, so yoga can help you cope, but it won't fix the job.
Regular yoga may take the edge off stress and exhaustion for a while. The trials are small and short, and nobody knows whether the effect lasts.
The RCN offers members up to six telephone counselling sessions, free and confidential, for work or personal problems. Your occupational health service and your GP can help too, and in England you can refer yourself to NHS talking therapies. If you're in crisis, the warning signs below say where to get help now.
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Breaks, moving often, comfortable shoes, mats where you stand still, and compression stockings for swelling are the aids suggested for jobs spent standing. Calf raises, ankle circles and lying with your legs up are in our class (our suggestion). Our back pain from standing and foot pain from standing guides have more.
About 45.5% of nurses have shift work disorder, across 24 studies of 15,479 nurses. In healthcare shift workers, being physically active went with less sleep trouble from shift work.
The Chinese trial above is the only yoga trial in nurses that measured sleep quality, and none measured sleep after night shifts. A Cochrane review found exercise for shift workers showed promise without enough data to be sure; in 10 exercise trials in shift workers, 8 found better sleep on some measure, but most had a high or unclear risk of bias.
The HSE advises avoiding vigorous exercise before sleep, because it is stimulating and raises body temperature, and taking moderate exercise before starting work, which may help you stay alert. So after a night shift, keep yoga to slow breathing and a few supported poses; save stronger sessions for days off or before a shift (our suggestion, following the HSE).
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In 20 Japanese nurses working nights, one taught class of restorative yoga, then 5 to 15 minutes of supported poses at home at least 3 times a week for 4 weeks, lowered stress reactions. The five poses were supported bound angle pose, supported bridge, supported child's pose, a reclining twist and legs up the wall. It was a small crossover trial. A 20-minute yoga module for healthcare workers is being tested against walking; so far only a 20-person pilot has reported.
The RCN says breaks should be seen as a necessity, not a luxury, and found nearly 60% of nurses it surveyed hadn't had sufficient breaks on their last shift. The working time rules give at least 20 minutes for a shift of 6 hours or more. Use a short practice in a break you're given, never instead of the break.
No trial has tested yoga during a nursing shift, so this is our own selection, standing or in a chair, with doses from the classes named in the moves notes below:
NICE asks employers to offer all staff, or help them get, mindfulness, yoga or meditation, in a group or online.
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Once you tell your employer in writing, they must assess the risks and make sure you aren't sitting or standing for long periods or lifting heavy loads. The HSE notes that long hours, shift work and night work can affect pregnant workers' health.
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The NHS says it's usually fine to keep doing activities you already do, and not to start a new vigorous activity. From the end of the first trimester, prop yourself up rather than lying flat in poses such as legs up the wall, as its move page says. Our yoga in pregnancy guide has the swaps.
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Slow breathing: "At least 5 minutes, done regularly as part of your daily routine" (the move page's dose), in for about 4, out for about 6, with no holds. Breath reach: "5 breaths, exhale longer than inhale" (the move page's dose), sitting or standing.
Four of the night-shift nurses' trial poses, then rest. Legs up the wall, 3 to 5 minutes, or with your calves on a chair (our Pilates for nurses class). Reclining bound angle: "Rest 2 to 5 minutes with a support under each thigh" (the move page's dose). Supported bridge: "Rest 3 to 5 minutes on the block" (the move page's dose), a firm cushion under your sacrum. Supine spinal twist, 1 minute each side, a cushion under the top knee (our editorial starting point). Child's pose: "Hold 1 to 3 minutes, breathing into the back ribs" (the move page's dose). Corpse pose: "Lie still for at least 5 minutes, up to 10" (the move page's dose).
3D demoLegs up the wall (Viparita Karani)Beginner · A wall
3D demoReclining bound angle pose (Supta Baddha Konasana)Beginner · Firm cushion
3D demoSupported bridge pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)Beginner · Firm cushion
3D demoSupine spinal twist (Supta Matsyendrasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoChild's Pose (Balasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoCorpse pose (Savasana)Beginner · No equipmentPelvic tilts, 8 slow tilts with your hips staying down, and low cobra, 5 lifts with 2 breaths at the top (both our yoga for back pain class); skip low cobra if arching sends symptoms down a leg. Cat-cow: "8 waves, slower than feels natural" (the move page's dose). Hip windshield wipers: "10 slow passes side to side, 2 rounds" (the move page's dose). Knees to chest: "Hold 20 to 30 seconds, 2 to 4 times" (the move page's dose). On days off, bird dog, 5 each side (our Pilates for nurses class).
Slow calf raises, 12 with a hand on a wall, and standing figure four, 30 seconds each side (both our desk yoga class). Ankle circles: "10 slow circles each way with each foot" (the move page's dose). Wall calf stretch, 30 seconds each side, twice (our editorial starting point). Mountain pose: "Stand for 5 to 10 slow breaths, 2 or 3 times" (the move page's dose).
Chin tucks, 5 slow reps holding each for a couple of seconds (our desk yoga class); skip them if they send symptoms down an arm. Upper trap release: "2 slow holds of 30 seconds per side" (the move page's dose). Thoracic rotation: "6 rotations per side, moving with the breath" (the move page's dose). Shoulder rolls: "10 to 15 slow circles each way" (the move page's dose). Doorway chest opener, 30 seconds each side (our stress relief workout). Seated upper-back lift: "3 to 5 repetitions, each held 3 to 5 seconds" (the move page's dose).
3D demoChin tuckBeginner · No equipment
3D demoUpper trap releaseBeginner · No equipment
3D demoThoracic rotationBeginner · No equipment
3D demoShoulder rollsBeginner · No equipment
3D demoDoorway chest openerBeginner · A wall
3D demoSeated upper-back lift (sit tall, shoulders back)Beginner · A bench or boxChair pose, 2 holds of 5 breaths; warrior II, 5 breaths each side; tree pose, 3 to 5 breaths each side with fingertips on a wall (all our yoga for stress class). The NHS asks adults to do strengthening activities on at least 2 days a week.
Leave out headstands, shoulder stands and plough. With osteoporosis or a flare of back pain, swap deep forward folds for a hip hinge. Skip low cobra and sphinx if arching sends symptoms down a leg, and keep twists small with disc or sacroiliac (SI) joint pain. After the first trimester of pregnancy, or if lying flat makes you dizzy, prop yourself up or skip legs up the wall; with glaucoma or high blood pressure that isn't under control, keep your hips on the floor. After a night shift, no hot classes or vigorous flows before sleep (our suggestion).
3D demoSupported headstand (Salamba Sirsasana)Expert · A wall
3D demoSupported shoulderstand (Salamba Sarvangasana)Advanced · No equipment
3D demoPlow pose (Halasana)Advanced · No equipment
3D demoSeated forward fold (Paschimottanasana)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoHip hinge foldBeginner · No equipment
3D demoSphinx pose (Salamba Bhujangasana)Beginner · No equipmentAfter a shift, our 20-minute class: our own selection built on the night-shift nurses' trial, untested as a whole. The 5-minute break version is in the short practices section above. On days off, our yoga for stress or yoga for back pain classes; for a break at work, desk yoga or seated chair yoga; and our Pilates for nurses class if you'd rather do Pilates.
A 20-minute after-shift yoga class for nurses: legs up, a gentle lower back, supported restorative poses and slow breathing to wind down for sleep.
20 minBeginner11 movesWall, firm cushionTwenty minutes of yoga for stressful days: the NHS breathing exercise, neck, shoulder and spine moves, standing poses that warm you up, then a slow wind-down.
20 minBeginner13 movesWallA gentle 20-minute yoga sequence for back pain, based on the first weeks of a 12-week trial programme: lying, all-fours and standing poses, then rest.
20 minBeginner12 movesFirm cushionTen minutes of yoga at your desk, no mat needed: slow breathing, neck, shoulder, wrist and spine moves in your chair, then standing poses with a hand on the desk.
10 minBeginner13 movesBench or box, wallA 15-minute chair yoga routine done entirely sitting: slow breathing, neck, shoulder and wrist stretches, seated twists and side bends, and a calm finish.
15 minBeginner16 movesBench or boxA 45-minute restorative yoga sequence: five fully supported poses held for 4 to 10 minutes each, with slow breathing and a long final rest.
45 minBeginner6 movesFirm cushion, wallA slow, 10-minute floor routine to unwind before sleep: child's pose, twists, happy baby and slow breathing.
10 minBeginner7 movesFirm cushion, wallA gentle 20-minute Pilates class for after a shift: legs up, a gentle lower back, the hips, the neck and shoulders, and slow breathing to wind down for sleep.
20 minBeginner14 movesWallThese are the warning signs from our back pain, Pilates for nurses, yoga and hot yoga guides, word for word, with one line of our own. This is general information, not a diagnosis. A&E means accident and emergency; in the US, call 911 for 999.
Call 999 or go to A&E: loss of feeling or numbness around the genitals or bottom, new trouble peeing or controlling your bladder or bowels, changes in genital sensation during sex or problems with erections or orgasm, or pain, tingling, weakness or numbness in both legs. These are signs of cauda equina syndrome, which needs treating in hospital urgently. Don't drive yourself.
Call 999 or go to A&E: back pain with chest pain, or back pain that started after a serious accident, such as a car crash.
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Same day (GP or NHS 111): back pain and you feel hot, cold, shivery or generally unwell, or severe pain that starts suddenly or is getting worse quickly.
Same day: leg weakness that is getting worse.
Source 50
Back pain that hasn't improved after a few weeks of looking after it at home, stops you doing day-to-day activities, worries you, or you're struggling to cope.
Unexplained weight loss, or a lump, swelling or change in the shape of your back.
Pain that doesn't improve with rest or is worse at night, or pain that is worse when you sneeze, cough or poo.
Pain at the top of the back, between the shoulders, rather than in the lower back.
Source 50
Some discomfort during exercise is fine, and it does not mean you are doing damage: the WHO counts "hurt does not necessarily mean harm" among the messages people with back pain need. Aim for pain you would call mild to moderate, no more than about 5 out of 10. It should settle within an hour or so, and your back should be no worse the next morning. If it is worse, do less next time (fewer reps, a smaller range, a lighter load), not nothing.
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If you are thinking about suicide or can't keep yourself safe, call 999 or go to A&E. For urgent help, call Samaritans free on 116 123, any time, or in England call 111 and select the mental health option. In the US, call or text 988.
Changing your sleep habits hasn't helped, you've had trouble sleeping for months, or it's affecting your daily life in a way that makes it hard to cope.
Your breathing stops and starts while you sleep, you make gasping, snorting or choking noises, or you always feel very tired in the day. If someone has seen it happen, it can help to bring them with you.
Don't drive when you feel sleepy. With confirmed sleep apnoea and excessive sleepiness, you must not drive until it's under control.
Pain and swelling in a leg with breathlessness or chest pain: a blood clot may have travelled to the lungs.
Throbbing pain and swelling in one leg, usually the calf or thigh, with red, blue or darkened skin or swollen veins: a possible blood clot (DVT).
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If standing all shift keeps getting harder week after week, despite breaks and comfortable shoes, see a GP or physiotherapist. In many areas you can refer yourself to NHS physiotherapy, and your manager or occupational health service can help with changes at work (our suggestion).
Stop exercising and get advice (in the US, call your obstetrician) if you have:
Before 12 weeks, contact your GP surgery or early pregnancy unit; from 12 to 19 weeks, your midwife or early pregnancy unit; from 20 weeks, your midwife or maternity unit. Always call 999 (911 in the US) if you think it's a life-threatening emergency. The NHS lists these among the symptoms to get help for:
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Contact your GP or midwife urgently if you have back pain in your second or third trimester, as it could be a sign of early labour, or back pain with a fever, bleeding from your vagina, pain when you pee, or pain under your ribs on one or both sides. Call 999 or go to A&E if you lose feeling in one or both legs, your bottom or your genitals.
Source 60
Call 999 if:
Call 999 or go to A&E (accident and emergency) straight away for severe difficulty breathing (gasping, choking or not able to get words out), a chest that feels tight or heavy, pain that spreads to your arms, back, neck and jaw, lips or skin turning very pale, blue or grey, or sudden confusion. If you're more short of breath than usual, or your heart is racing, fluttering or skipping beats, contact NHS 111.
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A joint pain that is sharp, gets worse during a session, lingers into the next day or changes how you move is a reason to use an easier version, and to see a GP or physiotherapist if it keeps happening (the rule in our plans). Muscle soreness for a day or two after something new is normal. In a hot class, stop if you feel dizzy, sick or unwell; our hot yoga guide lists the signs of heat illness.
With glaucoma, or high blood pressure that isn't under control, skip headstands, shoulder stands and long head-down holds. With osteoporosis, swap deep forward folds for a flat-back hinge from the hips, and twist smoothly. In pregnancy, our yoga in pregnancy guide covers the changes. NCCIH advises beginners to avoid headstands, shoulder stands, the lotus position and forceful breathing.
Modify or avoid exercises that round your back deeply or repeatedly, especially with a weight: sit-ups, toe touches, Pilates roll-downs and curl-ups, and extreme yoga forward folds. Bend from the hips instead. You do not need to avoid bending, twisting or lifting altogether: move smoothly and keep your upper back straight.
You can say no to any hands-on adjustment, and a teacher registered with Yoga Alliance must get your explicit consent each time.
The PAR-Q+ (Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire for Everyone) asks about a heart condition or high blood pressure, chest pain, dizziness or losing consciousness, other long-term conditions and their medicines, a bone or joint problem that activity could make worse, and being told to exercise only under supervision. If you answer yes to any, check with your GP or a qualified exercise professional first. If you're over 45 and not used to hard exercise, ask a qualified exercise professional before the hardest sessions, and delay if you're ill.
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If pain or exhaustion comes from handling without equipment, short staffing or missed breaks, report it and talk to occupational health, your manager or your union representative (our suggestion).
The NHS advises getting advice from a healthcare professional first if you have a health problem, an injury or symptoms, or have recently had a heart attack or an operation.
Nursing duties raised the risk of back problems whatever the technique, and technique training on its own hasn't prevented back pain. Equipment and safe handling programmes are what cut handling injuries.
Burnout comes from workplace stress that hasn't been managed. Yoga lowered self-rated stress and exhaustion in small, short trials, with low certainty, and NICE puts changes at work first.
The NHS Staff Council says general fitness is not always a guarantee against injury, and the RCN says no-one should routinely lift patients by hand. No yoga trial has counted injuries in nurses.
Walking 9,360 steps on a shift isn't strengthening (our reading). The NHS asks adults to do strengthening activities on at least 2 days a week.
The HSE warns against vigorous exercise before sleep. Supported lying poses and slow breathing are a different thing, and restorative yoga eased stress in nurses working nights (our reading).
The nurses' trials used beginners' classes and supported poses with props. Our after-shift class needs no flexibility at all.
In the one nurse trial that measured it, cortisol and blood pressure didn't change, though people felt less stressed.
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It can help with stress and a sore back, as one part of looking after yourself. In small trials in nurses, yoga lowered self-rated work stress and exhaustion and improved sleep quality, but the evidence is low certainty and short-term. It doesn't replace safe staffing, equipment or breaks.
No study shows that. Patient handling raises the risk whatever your technique or fitness, and hoists, safe handling programmes and enough staff are what cut injuries. Yoga can ease back pain a little, about as much as other exercise.
About 3 in 4 nurses report a musculoskeletal problem in a year, the lower back most, then the neck and shoulders. Moving and handling, heavy workloads, little control over the work and long hours all add to it, so much of it comes from the job.
It may ease emotional exhaustion in the short term, but the pooled result rests on 3 small trials, one of them laughter yoga. Burnout comes from workplace stress that hasn't been managed, so it needs changes at work too, and NICE asks employers to start there.
A 5-minute break of neck, shoulder, upper-back and calf moves with slow breathing, standing or in a chair, like the version in this guide. The best-tested short dose is 5 to 15 minutes of supported restorative poses at home, 3 times a week. Use a break you're given, never instead of one.
Yes, for a break at work: our desk yoga and seated chair yoga classes need no floor and no changing. No trial has tested chair yoga in nurses, so it's a convenient option rather than a proven one.
It may. In one Chinese trial, nurses who did yoga twice or more a week slept better after 6 months, and exercise looks promising for shift workers, though the trials are weak. After nights keep it gentle: the HSE advises avoiding vigorous exercise before sleep.
Moderate exercise before a shift may help you stay alert, and gentle supported poses after it may help you wind down. Save stronger classes for days off.
Moving often, breaks, comfortable shoes and, for swelling, compression stockings. Calf raises, ankle circles and legs up the wall are in our class; see a GP if standing keeps getting harder.
The trials used anything from 5 to 15 minutes of restorative poses 3 times a week to 50 to 60-minute classes twice a week. Our suggestion is the 20-minute class two or three times a week, plus stronger sessions on days off.
Usually, if you already do it: keep it gentle, don't start a new vigorous activity, and prop yourself up rather than lying flat for long after the first trimester. Your employer must also assess lifting, standing and night work.
No type of exercise has been shown to be best for nurses, and other exercise eased healthcare workers' stress and low mood too. Choose what you'll keep doing; our Pilates for nurses guide covers the Pilates option.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. If you are pregnant, have a health condition such as glaucoma, high blood pressure or osteoporosis, or have had recent surgery, check with a doctor, midwife or physiotherapist before starting, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
