A randomized scientific study has found that cancer survivors who attended a 75 minute low intensity yoga session twice a week for a month, had reduced need for sleep medication, while also reporting improvement in sleep quality.
The study divided 410 cancer survivors into two groups. One group got standard treatment. The other group got standard treatment plus yoga. The group that did yoga reported 21% less use for sleep medication, while the standard group reported an increase of 5% in the use of sleep medication during the study period. The yoga group also reported statistically significant improvements in sleep quality while the standard group did not.
The study included 410 cancer survivors, most of them white women, and most (75%) had been treated for breast cancer. All survivors who participated in the study received standard post-treatment care, but half also attended twice-a-week 75-minute yoga sessions for 4 weeks. These were delivered in community-based sites, which included yoga centers, community centers, and community oncology centers. The yoga done by participants was mostly restorative hatha yoga that included mindful breathing and gentle stretching. Participants also did meditation.
Between 30 to 90% of cancer survivors report suffering from some kind of sleep related issues following cancer treatment. These can last up to months and even years. This is why this study is important as it shows a way of improving the quality of life of cancer survivors.
Related: Can Yoga Help With Sleep?
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