Study Finds Four-Week Yoga Program Reduced Insomnia and Fatigue in Cancer Survivors

A randomized trial conducted across multiple U.S. community cancer care sites found that a four-week yoga program produced moderate-to-large reductions in mood disturbance and fatigue among cancer survivors. The study enrolled 410 adults with an average age of 54. Roughly 75 percent were breast cancer survivors, and none had practiced yoga regularly in the prior three months.

Participants were randomly assigned to two groups.

One group received standard survivorship care; the other received the same care plus enrollment in the Yoga for Cancer Survivors program. The yoga group attended two instructor-led 75-minute sessions each week that included 18 Gentle Hatha and Restorative poses, breathing exercises, and mindfulness training.

Questionnaires showed the yoga group experienced moderate-to-large reductions in overall mood disturbance, small-to-medium reductions in anxiety, and medium-to-large reductions in fatigue. Researchers linked the mood and fatigue gains to improved sleep quality.

No major safety concerns or serious adverse events were reported. "This indicates that cancer survivors have an option to alleviate these cancer-related side effects at the same time, without adding another drug," lead investigator Yuri Choi, PhD, of the Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, told Fox News Digital.

The findings remain preliminary and have not been peer-reviewed. The sample was 96 percent women, 75 percent breast cancer patients, 93 percent Caucasian, and 82 percent with some college or higher education. The study excluded patients with metastatic cancer and lasted only four weeks.

Researchers are developing a mobile app to reach rural participants and are adapting the program for broader cancer populations.