Yoga-Nidra as a complementary therapy for reducing psychological distress and enhancing quality of life in cancer patients: A randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE: Intensive cancer treatments, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, are physically and emotionally taxing, often causing psychological distress and reduced quality of life. Complementary therapies are increasingly explored to mitigate these effects. Yoga-Nidra, a non-invasive, low-cost, low-effort relaxation technique, may benefit patients with limited mobility during treatment. This study examines its impact on psychological distress and quality of life in cancer patients.

METHODS

This randomized controlled trial included 40 cancer patients (ages 25-55) undergoing chemotherapy, radiation, hormone, or immunotherapy. After informed consent, participants were randomly assigned to the Yoga-Nidra (n = 20) or control group (n = 20). The intervention involved 25-minute sessions, twice daily, five days a week for one month. Psychological distress and quality of life, including functioning, symptoms, and global health were assessed pre- and post-intervention using the NCCN Distress Thermometer and EORTC QLQ-C30.

RESULTS

Yoga-Nidra demonstrated significant improvements over the control group across multiple quality-of-life domains, including psychological distress (p = .001), global health (p = .010), emotional-functioning (p = .028), social-functioning (p < .001), and symptoms of fatigue (p = .003), pain (p = .002), dyspnea (p < .001), and diarrhea (p = .015). Post-hoc analyses confirmed greater benefits for distress (p = .005), emotional-functioning (p = .004), and dyspnea (p = .008).

CONCLUSION

Yoga-Nidra reduces psychological distress and improves quality of life in cancer patients. As an accessible complementary therapy, it supports emotional well-being and symptom management during intensive treatments. Further research is needed to assess its effects on less responsive domains, related symptoms, long-term efficacy, and applicability across diverse patient populations.