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Meditation and yoga can help cancer patients sleep

CALGARY – A Calgary study involving patients from the Tom Baker Cancer Centre has found meditation and yoga can help people struggling with cancer-related insomnia.

Research published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology involved 111 cancer patients struggling with sleep disturbances.

Half of the group was treated using cognitive behavioral therapy and the other half was treated using a combination of mindful meditation, gentle yoga and mood managing techniques.

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“We looked at before and after the two-month treatment and three months later,” explains study co-author Dr. Linda Carlson. “What we found, was that right after the treatment the cognitive therapy was better for improving some of the sleep duration and sleep efficiency. But three months later, the mindfulness had caught up and help helped people improve their insomnia.”

Carlson says the research provides a second treatment option for cancer patients.

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An estimated 59% of cancer patients experience sleep problems during and after cancer treatment.

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