Effectiveness of Yoga Nidra in Mitigating Stress in Women Undergoing Curative Radiotherapy for Cervical Cancer

Background: Cervical cancer patients undergoing chemo-radiotherapy experience considerable amounts of stress. In the present study, we attempted to ascertain the effectiveness of yoga nidra, a mind-based structured relaxation exercise, in mitigating the stress. Method: We conducted this prospective two-arm study on 48 volunteers randomly allocated into experimental (n=24) and control groups (n=24) using simple random sampling (lottery method). We collected the pretest data using a stress scale. The experimental group was then provided with yoga nidra sessions during the course of the treatment. We collected the post-test data using the same tool at the end of the radiation treatment with 50 Gy (2 Gy for five days a week for five consecutive weeks). We presented the demographic details in frequency and percentage and analyzed the stress data using ANOVA with Tukey’s multiple comparison test. P<0.05 was considered as significant. Results: The volunteers in both cohorts experienced moderate to severe stress at the beginning of the study. Compared to the control group, the stress was significantly less in the groups that practiced yoga nidra (79.46 vs. 64.42) (P<0.0001). Conclusion: The results of the study clearly suggested that yoga nidra was effective in reducing the stress in cervical cancer patients undergoing curative radiation therapy.