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

D’cunha, Reshma; Pappachan, Binsha; D’souza, Ovine Loyster; Tonse, Raees; Saldanha, Elroy; Baliga, Manjeshwar Shrinath

doi:10.30476/mejc.2020.82648.1093

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

Document Type : Original Article(s)

Authors

Reshma D’cunha ¹

Binsha Pappachan ¹

Ovine Loyster D’souza ¹

Raees Tonse ²

Elroy Saldanha ³

Manjeshwar Shrinath Baliga ⁴

¹ Department of Psychiatric Nursing, Father Muller College of Nursing, Kankanady, Mangalore, India

² Department of Radiation Oncology, Father Muller Medical College, Kankanady, Mangalore, India

³ Department of General Surgery, Father Muller Medical College, Kankanady, Mangalore, India

⁴ Father Muller Research Center, Kankanady, Mangalore, India

https://doi.org/10.30476/mejc.2020.82648.1093

Abstract

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.

Keywords

Cervical cancer

Yoga nidra

Chemo-radiation

Stress

How to cite this article:

D’cunha R, Pappachan B, D’souza OL, Tonse R, Elroy Saldnha E, Baliga MS. Effectiveness of yoga nidra in mitigating stress in women undergoing curative radiotherapy for cervical cancer. Middle East J Cancer.2021;12(1): 117-27.doi:10.30476/ mejc.2020.82648. 1093.