Impact of Yogic Practices with and without Yoga Nidra on Psychological Well-Being in Smartphone-Addicted College Students: A Randomised Controlled Trial

Smartphone addiction among college students is strongly associated with elevated psychological distress, including depression, anxiety, and chronic stress. While yogic interventions show promise for mental health improvement, limited evidence exists comparing yogic practices alone versus combined with yoga nidra for psychological outcomes in this population. We aimed to evaluate whether yogic practices combined with yoga nidra provide superior psychological benefits compared with yogic practices alone in smartphone-addicted college students. We conducted a single-blind, randomised controlled trial between June and October 2024. College students aged 18-25 years with smartphone addiction (Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version score ≥31 for males, ≥33 for females) were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive either yogic practices plus yoga nidra (YP+YN; 90 minutes per session) or yogic practices alone (YP; 60 minutes per session), delivered three times weekly for 16 weeks. Primary outcomes were depression, anxiety, and stress levels measured using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21). Secondary outcomes included perceived stress levels (Latha Stress Scale), sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), smartphone addiction severity, mindfulness levels (Mindful Attention Awareness Scale), and self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale). Outcome assessors were masked to group allocation. Of 156 students assessed for eligibility, 120 were randomised to YP+YN (n=60) or YP (n=60). The overall retention rate was 88.3% (106 of 120 participants). Both groups showed significant improvements in all psychological measures, but the YP+YN group demonstrated superior outcomes. DASS-21 depression scores decreased more substantially in the YP+YN group (mean difference -8.45 95% CI -9.78 to -7.12 vs -5.23 -6.41 to -4.05; between-group difference p<0.001). Similar patterns were observed for anxiety (p<0.001) and stress subscales (p=0.002). All secondary psychological outcomes favoured the YP+YN group, including perceived stress (p<0.001), sleep quality (p=0.008), smartphone addiction severity (p=0.015), mindfulness (p=0.003), and self-esteem (p=0.021). No serious adverse events occurred. Yogic practices combined with yoga nidra provide superior psychological benefits compared with yogic practices alone for smartphone-addicted college students. The addition of yoga nidra significantly enhances improvements in depression, anxiety, stress, and overall psychological well-being. These findings support the integration of comprehensive yogic interventions into mental health programmes targeting technology-related psychological distress.