Surviving breast cancer is a reason to celebrate. But having fought, and won, this battle, you may not feel quite like yourself anymore and you may worry about getting sick again. Following your doctor’s recommendations is of course essential, but new research suggests that practicing yoga may also be beneficial to your post-cancer health.
Improved energy and other perks
A study of 200 breast cancer survivors showed that those who regularly practiced yoga felt less fatigued, had more vitality and slept better after three months. What’s more, whole body inflammation was also markedly reduced in yoga participants. Chronic inflammation increases the risk of numerous illnesses, including heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes and cancer itself — and the risk of all of these, including secondary cancer, is greater in people who have previously had cancer.
In fact, compared to people who’ve never had cancer, those who have survived the disease are more than twice as likely to experience poorer health and greater disability as they age.
Thus, by decreasing inflammation and associated risks, as well as reducing fatigue and improving sleep quality, yoga may have substantial long-term health benefits in breast cancer survivors. And the more frequently you do it, the greater the benefits, including on your mood.
Although depression rates didn’t different between those who did and didn’t practice yoga, depression symptoms were reduced in breast cancer survivors who practiced yoga for more than 18 minutes a day.
More than breast cancer and more than yoga
If you’ve beaten a cancer other than breast cancer and aren’t particularly into yoga, you’ll be happy to learn that several exercise programs (including strength training, cycling, walking, tai-chi and qigong, as well as yoga) have been shown to improve quality of life in survivors of a range of cancer types.
Regularly participating in one of these exercise regimes was found to have a positive impact on overall and emotional well-being, self-esteem, social and sexual functioning, sleep quality, anxiety, fatigue and pain. Further, yoga and other forms of exercise have also been shown to be of benefit in people currently undergoing treatment for a variety of cancers.
In addition to most of the above benefits, exercising while undergoing active cancer treatment was also associated with improved physical functioning, which is often impaired as a result of the cancer itself, and its treatment. So, if you’re currently fighting (or have already beaten) cancer, why not give yoga a try for its widespread beneficial effects, or choose another form of exercise to improve your quality of life?.
