Yoga can improve sleep quality in breast cancer patients

Breast cancer patients are generally found to be struggling with their sleep, but now they can have a sound sleep by doing some special yoga, according to a recent study.

The study included 227 women, who were undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer, were divided into three groups. One group was asked to perform some Tibetan yoga, second was asked to do simple stretching and third group was taken as a control group (no exercise recommended). The participants were examined a week after the completion of the yoga program, but follow ups were taken at the intervals of three, six and 12 months.

At the time of analysis, it was reported that women doing yoga reported less sleep problems and daytime sleepiness in comparison to the other two groups. Lorenzo Cohen, Director of Integrative Medicine Program at University of Texas, said, “Sleep problems and fatigue are common among cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.”

The women under the groups of Tibetan yoga and stretching were given a regular class of 70-90 minutes during their chemotherapy. Tibetan yoga participants were trained by a trainer and they were taught how to control breathing, meditate and practice different yoga postures at home.

Cohen mentioned, “While the effects of this intervention were modest, it is encouraging to see that the women who practiced yoga outside of class had improved sleep outcomes over time”. She further added, “Previous research has established that yoga effectively reduces sleep disturbances for cancer patients, but have not included active control groups or long-term follow-up. This study hoped to address previous study limitation.”