Dawn vs. Dusk: Yoga practice timing shapes sleep, mood and well-being in young adults - results of a randomized controlled trial

Yoga is recognized as a holistic practice promoting multidimensional well-being. However, the influence of practice timing in alignment with circadian rhythms remains underexplored despite its potential to optimize therapeutic outcomes. To assess the differential effects of morning versus evening tele-yoga on quality of life, sleep, psychological health and lifestyle behaviours among young adults. A randomized controlled trial with a three-arm, pre-post design was conducted at a business school in Bengaluru from May 2022 to March 2023. A total of 156 postgraduate students were randomized into morning yoga (6:00 am to 7:00 am), evening yoga (6:00 pm to 7:00 pm) and wait-list control groups. Eighty-two participants (42 males, 40 females; mean age = 22.54 ± 1.67 years) completed a four-week tele-yoga intervention (1 h/day, 5 days/week). Assessments included WHOQOL-BREF, PSQI, DASS-21, Vedic Personality Inventory, Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire and lifestyle behaviour measures. Linear mixed-effects models with Bonferroni correction were used to analyse repeated measures and missing data. Morning yoga group showed significant benefits over evening yoga as well as control in reducing sleep disturbances (p = 0.03), enhancing morningness (p = 0.004), increasing s attva (positive mental health) traits (p = 0.02) and reducing junk food intake (p = 0.03). Both yoga groups outperformed controls in improving quality of life, psychological health, sleep and lifestyle measures (p < 0.001–0.031). As compared to the controls, morning yoga group uniquely improved energy (p = 0.007) and restfulness (p = 0.006), while evening yoga reduced sadness (p = 0.021). Lifestyle benefits emerged without explicit behavioral advice. Morning yoga yields superior benefits for sleep, chronotype, sattva traits, and dietary choices. Aligning yoga practice with circadian rhythms may optimize health outcomes in young adults.