Efficacy of Yogic Practices on Quality of Sleep, Stress, and Blood Pressure Among Shift-Based Working Security Personnel.

ABSTRACT: Due to the shift-based nature of their work, security personnel are prone to inadequate sleep, elevated stress levels, and other psycho-physiological challenges. The present study adopted a pre-post design to evaluate the efficacy of yoga practice in enhancing sleep quality and stress-coping ability among shift-based security personnel. 64 participants were randomly assigned to the Experimental Group (n = 32) and the Control Group (n = 32). The Experimental Group received thirty sessions of yoga intervention from 7.00 AM to 8.00 AM, over two months, comprising selected asanas, pranayama practices, silent meditation, and relaxation techniques, while the Control Group continued their routine activities without any intervention. Sleep quality was measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and perceived stress was assessed through the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). Blood pressure was recorded using a digital monitor. The findings revealed a statistically significant improvement (P < .05) in the Experimental Group across the measured parameters, whereas the Control Group showed no significant changes in any of the variables. Based on the analysis, the present study concludes that the yoga intervention could effectively enhance sleep quality and reduce stress among the security personnel. KEYWORDS: Yoga, Security personnel, Quality of sleep, Stress, Blood pressure, Shift work.