NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Regular yoga classes could help people with a common heart rhythm problem manage their symptoms while also improving their state of mind, a new study suggests.

According to the American Heart Association, about 2.7 million people in the U.S. have atrial fibrillation (AF), in which the heart's upper chambers quiver chaotically instead of contracting normally.

People with AF are often prescribed drugs such as beta blockers to help control their heart rate and rhythm. But the medicines don't alleviate symptoms for all patients, researchers noted - which is where add-ons like yoga could come in.

"This may be something they should consider," said W. Todd Cade, a physical therapy researcher from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

"Yoga could be a beneficial treatment for people with atrial fibrillation. Obviously they should talk to their doctor before they start a program," Cade, who wasn't involved in the new research, told Reuters Health.

"There are a lot of other benefits of yoga, and there aren't a lot of negatives," he added.

The new study included 49 people who'd had AF for an average of five years. For three months, researchers led by Dr. Dhanunjaya Lakkireddy from the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City tracked study volunteers' heart symptoms and their blood pressure and heart rate, as well as their anxiety, depression and general quality of life.

For the second phase of the study, the same participants went to group yoga classes at least twice a week for an additional three months, again reporting on their symptoms and quality of life.

All of the patients were on stable medications throughout the study period.

Nonetheless, the number of times they reported heart quivering - which was confirmed by a heart monitor - dropped from almost four times during the first three months to twice during the yoga intervention phase. Their average heart rate also fell from 67 beats per minute at the start of the study to between 61 and 62 bpm post-yoga.

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Yoga may aid people with irregular heart rhythm