Yoga can help older people have a sound sleep, a new study has found.
The study was conducted among 69 older people, over 60 years of age, residing in a home for the aged in Bangalore.
"The results of the study suggest that the practice of yoga, which includes physical activity, relaxation and inputs on emotional stability, improved sleep and increased the feeling of being refreshed upon waking among the aged," scientists at the Swami Vivekananda Yoga Research Foundation, Bangalore, said.
The old people were divided into three groups -- yoga, ayurveda and no intervention.
The assessment was done after three and six months of interventions.
"In the yoga group, the time taken to fall asleep was reduced significantly at three and six months and the duration of sleep each night increased significantly at six months. Other groups showed no significant change," N K Manjunath and Shirley Telles reported in the Indian Journal of Medical Research.
"Older adults spend more time in bed relative to time spent asleep. This is due to the longer time taken to fall asleep, a longer period of wakefulness during the night and time spent lying awake before rising in the morning," they said.
"It is well-recognised that the function of sleep in everyday life is crucial to an individual's sense of well-being, with a strong relationship between the quality of sleep and psychological symptoms," they said.
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