Adding yoga to regular treatment can help speed recovery from opioid withdrawal, a small Indian study suggests.

Combining standard buprenorphine therapy with yoga helped people recover from opioid withdrawal almost twice as fast as the drug alone, researchers found.

During opioid withdrawal, the stress system of the body remains overactive while its calming system is underactive, said study leader Dr. Hemant Bhargav from the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences in India.

Patients can experience diarrhea, insomnia, pain, anxiety, and depression, as well as pupil dilation, a runny nose, anorexia, and vomiting.

With mindfulness, slowed breathing, and relaxation techniques, “yoga helps the body shift out ‍of constant stress mode and into a state that supports healing - something standard medications don't fully address,” Bhargav said.

The 59 men in the study experiencing mild ‍to moderate opioid withdrawal symptoms all received buprenorphine. Half of them also received 10 45-minute yoga sessions over 14 days, including breathing techniques, postures, and guided relaxation.

Participants in the yoga group had an average recovery time of about 5 days, compared with 9 days in the buprenorphine group, researchers reported ⁠in JAMA Psychiatry.

Yoga reduced anxiety levels, a key trigger for cravings and relapse during withdrawal. It also improved sleep quality, eased pain, and improved heart rate, the researchers found.

“The study's all-male sample reflects the patient population at our treatment center during the study period,” Bhargav said.

“Including females could reveal important differences; women may experience withdrawal differently ​due to hormonal influences on autonomic function and pain perception, and they may respond differently to yoga practices," he said, adding that similar studies that will include women are planned.

“We also want to examine whether the benefits of yoga persist beyond the withdrawal period, particularly in reducing relapse risk,” he said.