2021 Spring GAPNA Newsletter Volume 40 Number 1

Comparing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy vs. Yoga for Helping Older Adults Address High Levels of Worry

Some older adults have high levels of worry that cause them to feel restless, tired, or tense. Two ways to treat worry are yoga and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Yoga combines movement, breathing techniques, and meditation to help people reduce stress. In CBT, patients learn to change patterns in their thinking to improve how they feel.

In this study, researchers compared how well yoga versus CBT helped older adults with high levels of worry to reduce worry, anxiety, and sleeping problems. The team assigned half of the older adults to CBT or yoga by chance. The other half chose between CBT and yoga.

After 11 weeks, older adults who received CBT and those who took yoga classes had less worry, anxiety, and sleeping problems. Compared with those taking yoga, adults receiving CBT reported fewer sleeping problems. Both groups had similar decreases in worry and anxiety.

These changes were the same whether older adults chose their treatment or the research team assigned it. Choosing treatment didn’t affect whether older adults followed their treatment plan or stayed in the study.

Older adults and their healthcare providers can use these results when considering ways to reduce high levels of worry. Learn more.