An estimated 17%-75% of breast cancer survivors experience “chemo brain” as a side effect of breast cancer treatment.
(As though losing our breasts and our hair wasn’t enough… we have to lose our minds, too??)
The symptoms of chemo brain include memory lapses, trouble concentrating, and feeling “cloudy,” slow, and disorganized.
Your friends might think you seem fine. People with chemo brain often score well on cognitive tests. However, they have to work harder to get to the same result.
It’s immensely frustrating. Everyone expects you to get back to normal after treatment, but you can’t move on with your life… because you can’t think clearly.
There’s good news. Yoga can improve your neurological health and physical and mental well-being, and it can help with chemo brain as well.
Want proof? Here you go.
1. Yoga grows new neurons
In a study published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, researchers found that participating in a three-month yoga retreat caused an increase in BDNF levels.
That’s brain derived neurotrophic factor, a protein that supports the neurons in your central nervous system and encourages them to grow and change.
2. Yoga stimulates blood flow to your brain
Contrary to popular belief, headstand (sirsasana) does not increase blood flow to the brain. (Your brain autoregulates this all on its own.)
That’s good news for yogis who prefer to stay right side up. You can get the bloodflow-boosting benefits of yoga while keeping your feet on the ground.
A study in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that people who took a daily 20-minute yoga class had significantly increased cerebral blood flow (CBT) at the end of the 12-week study.
No fancy postures necessary. The classes consisted of basic yoga poses like forward folds and downward-facing dog.
Our brains are demanding. They account for only 2% of our body weight, but they use about 15% of the total blood flow in our bodies. So it stands to reason that blood flow to the brain is pretty important.
In fact, research in aging has linked low CBT with higher risk of developing dementia in the long term, and increased CBT with improved cognitive performance.
3. Yoga helps you concentrate
Yoga has been proven to help kids with ADHD improve their attention span, concentration, and self-control. And researchers believe that the mind body component of yoga increases your ability to focus your mind better than equivalent aerobic exercise.
4. Yoga helps with stress, anxiety, and depression
It’s a vicious cycle: feeling spacey and forgetful makes life more stressful, but then stress makes chemo brain symptoms that much worse.
Harvard Medical School calls exercise an “all-natural treatment” for depression. The researchers at Harvard specifically called out yoga’s ability to reduce the stress response and manage the symptoms of anxiety and depression.
5. Yoga helps with fatigue
Fatigue is another unfortunate consequence of cancer, especially when radiation therapy is part of the treatment mix. Fatigue can also compound the effects of chemo brain and make symptoms worse.
Yoga poses, which help to revive the circulatory and nervous systems, can combat fatigue, and in turn help with cognitive function. It seems counterintuitive—that exercise could actually make you less tired—but study after study has proven it works.
So there you go… if you’re having mental health or cognitive issues from your cancer treatment, try a few poses. Your mind may thank you 🙂
XoA
