In this part, let’s have a good look at the benefits of yoga practice. Through two studies on the yoga practice on specific population, yoga was conceived to have amazing effects on different types of symptoms. The first article is named “The effect of yoga on sleep quality and insomnia in women with sleep problems: a systematic review and meta-analysis”. This study was conducted by the researchers from Taiwan. Sleep problems are one of the most common medical complaints. Lack of sleep is associated with significantly decreased work performance, impaired daytime function, and increased health care costs. Sex-based differences in sleep problems have been widely published and discussed across sleep articles. Insomnia is about 1.5 times more common in women than in men. Female populations at certain stages in their life span may be more vulnerable to insomnia. In these stages, hormonal changes associated with hormones, may play an important role in influencing women’s sleep construction during adolescence, pregnancy or menopause. Several behavioral, psychological and pharmacological treatments are available for insomnia, however, their efficacy varies considerably. The evidence of efficacy for cognitive behavior therapy is now well established in many reviews, but availability remains poor. Pharmacotherapy remains the most common treatment, although hypnotics have been associated with many side effects, as mentioned above. Yoga has been widely adapted in the modern Eastern and Western societies in a variety of ways. Yoga focuses on strength, flexibility, and breathing to boost physical, mental and spiritual health. There are many different styles of yoga, such as Tibetan, Iyengar and Hatha Yoga. Some styles are more vigorous than others, whereas some may have different areas of emphasis, such as posture or breathing. The main components of yoga in Europe or America are mostly associated with physical posture and breathing control and meditation. A trial in yoga for persistent fatigue breast cancer survivors showed yoga is safe and effective at improving fatigue, depressive moods, and sleep quality. Yoga is also characterized as a mindful mode of physical activity. Mindfulness, as an important component of yoga, improves sleep disturbance by increasing melatonin levels, reducing hyper-arousal, and addressing stress. The term “sleep quality” is commonly used in sleep medicine. In 1989, some scholars referred to sleep quality as a “complex phenomenon that is difficult to define and measure objectively”. Good sleep quality is associated with better health, less daytime sleepiness, greater well-being and better psychological functioning. Recently, sleep quality is defined as one’s satisfaction of the sleep experience, integrating aspects of sleep initiation, sleep maintenance, sleep quantity, and refreshment upon awakening. The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) released the key indicators of good sleep quality, as established by a panel of experts. They include increase in sleeping time while in bed (at least 85% of the total time), falling asleep in 30 min or less, waking up no more than once per night and being awake for 20 min or less after initially falling asleep. Although recent studies have assessed the efficacy and safety of yoga in specific groups of women in different stages, evidence for the efficacy of yoga in improving sleep quality and insomnia of women has not yet been systematically assessed. Thus, the aim of this review was to systematically evaluate and perform a meta-analysis of the available data on the efficacy and safety of yoga in terms of improving sleep quality and insomnia in women. Nineteen studies in this systematic review included 1832 participants. The meta-analysis of the combined data conducted according to Comprehensive Meta-Analysis showed a significant improvement in sleep. Of the 19 studies, six included healthy participants, including nurses, teachers, and women in the menopausal transition period or postmenopausal period. The other 13 included breast cancer patients undergoing treatment and after treatment, type 2 diabetes mellitus patients and so on. From this slide, we can see the results of the meta-analysis, which revealed the effects of yoga compared with the control group on the sleep quality and insomnia of women. Sixteen RCTs revealed evidence for effects of yoga compared with the control group in improving sleep quality in women using the PSQI (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index). However, three RCTs revealed no effects of yoga compared with the control group in reducing the severity of insomnia in women using ISI (Insomnia Severity Index). Two RCTs revealed no effects of yoga compared with control group in improving sleep efficiency or total sleep time in women using actigraphy. The second article we shared is named “Yoga for the Management of Cancer Treatment-Related Toxicities. ” This is an excellent review which explained what yoga was, summarized published literature on the efficacy of yoga for managing cancer treatment-related toxicities, and provided clinical recommendations on the use of yoga for oncology professionals. The writers of this article are from University of Rochester Medical Center. The research group developed an integrated behavioral and biological systems theoretical model for conceptualizing and studying the effects of yoga on cancer treatment-related toxicities (see Fig. 1). This theory is that cancer and its treatments directly and negatively influence the circadian rhythm, physical function, the stress response, and immune function; in turn, diminished function in these systems leads to cancer related fatigue, cognitive impairment, psychological distress, and musculoskeletal symptoms. Yoga is capable of positively influencing each of these systems and improving circadian rhythm, physical function, the stress response, and immune function and, consequently, reducing sleep disruption, CRF, cognitive impairment, psychological distress, and musculoskeletal symptoms among cancer patients and survivors. Yoga is increasingly popular throughout the world, via self-directed books and videos, at cancer center and community programs marketed toward cancer patients, the scientific evidence regarding its efficacy for treating sleep disruption, CRF, cognitive impairment, psychological distress, and musculoskeletal symptoms is in developing stages.
