Effect of Yoga-based Intervention on Stress and Autonomic Balance in Substance Abuse Recovery: A Psychophysiological Study
Health and population. Perspectives and issues June 30, 2026 P Sanil Kumar, Nongthombam I Singh
A 12-week yoga program added to standard rehabilitation care reduced psychological stress, improved heart rate variability, and lowered serum cortisol and C-reactive protein in male inpatients with substance use disorders in Kerala, India. The yoga group showed significant reductions on the DASS-21 stress subscale and Perceived Stress Scale, along with increases in HRV indices (SDNN, RMSSD) and a decreased LF/HF ratio, while the control group showed no significant changes. Reductions in stress correlated with improvements in autonomic and biochemical markers, suggesting coordinated psychophysiological regulation. Causal inference is limited by the quasi-experimental design.