Influence of Yoga and Ayurveda on self-rated sleep in a geriatric population.

METHODS: Of the 120 residents from a home for the aged, 69 were stratified based on age and randomly allocated to three groups i.e., Yoga (physical postures, relaxation techniques, voluntarily regulated breathing and lectures on yoga philosophy), Ayurveda (a herbal preparation), and Wait-list control (no intervention). RESULTS: The Yoga group showed a significant decrease in the time taken to fall asleep, an increase in the total number of hours slept and in the feeling of being rested in the morning based on a rating scale after six months.