I've written about the link between insomnia and cancer a number of times on this blog.
I've also talked about yoga as an insomnia cure on a number of occasions.
Today, I'll be bringing the two together - thanks to some recent research.
As many as 90% of cancer survivors report sleep difficulties.
This led researchers at the University of Rochester to determine whether yoga could help.
The study involved 410 cancer survivors who were suffering from moderate to severe sleep disruption between 2 months and 2 years after medical intervention (chemotherapy/radiotherapy/surgery).
Those who attended two 75 minute yoga sessions each week for 4 weeks in addition to standard care saw greater improvements in sleep quality, sleep efficiency and daytime function compared to those who were assigned standard care alone.
The yoga participants also fell asleep faster, stayed asleep for longer and took less medication for their insomnia.
The yoga intervention involved breathing exercises (pranayama), gentle and restorative postures (asanas) and meditation.
If you'd like to give yoga a try, I recommend the Shapeshifter Yoga program.
Source: Journal of Clinical Oncology
Improve your sleep in two weeks: Over 5,000 insomniacs have completed my free insomnia sleep training course and 97% of graduates say they would recommend it to a friend. Learn more here.
Last updated: May 27, 2014
