The effect of web-based Hatha yoga on psychological distress and sleep quality in older adults: A randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: To date, there has been very limited experimental research on the impact of Yoga on older adults’ mental health during the COVID-19 crisis. We aimed to explore the effect of a web-based Hatha yoga program on psychological and quality of sleep in older adults who self-isolated at home during the initial stage of the COVID-19 outbreak. METHODS: Two hundred volunteers of both sexes were split into experimental (Yoga group, YG) and control (Control group, CG) groups, in a web-based randomized controlled study. All participants were administered the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21) and the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI); at baseline and following an eight-week online Hatha yoga intervention. RESULTS: The YG showed significant reductions in depression (−56.1%; Z = 5.67, p < 0.01, r = 0.70) anxiety (−64.3%; Z = 5.27, p < 0.01, r = 0.65) and stress (−68.2%; Z = 5.86, r = 0.73) scores, while the CG showed a significant increase in depression. In addition, the total PSQI score of the YG was considerably lower during follow-up (3.38 ± 2.02, p < 0.05) than at baseline (4.8 ± 32, p < 0.05), which indicates an improvement of the quality of sleep. The proportion of individuals experiencing good sleep from the YG increased from 63% to 85% after the Hatha yoga intervention. CONCLUSION: The use of a web-based Hatha Yoga intervention program was associated with a beneficial effect on the mental health and quality of sleep in older adults.