February 23, 2005 – Practicing Tai Chi (Tai Ji Quan) May Help Elderly People With Moderate Sleep Problems Sleep Better And Faster, Study Finds1 conducted in the United States.
A team of researchers from the Oregon Research Institute wanted to evaluate the effectiveness of Tai Ji Quan against sleep disorders. To do this, they recruited 118 men and women aged 60 to 92. All had disturbed sleep, took an average of 40 minutes to fall asleep, and suffered from above-normal daytime sleepiness.
Participants were randomly divided into two groups to take part in either a Tai Ji Quan program or a series of low impact exercises (breathing, stretching), all at the rate of three 60-minute sessions per week. , during six months.
Compared to the control group, subjects in the group who practiced Tai Ji Quan experienced a marked improvement in the quality of their sleep, in addition to reducing their time to fall asleep by 18 minutes. Likewise, they reported having fewer episodes of sleepiness during the day.
Asked to comment on the study in Medical news2, DD Isabelle Marc believes that it “has several positive points” on the methodological level. However, she believes that the difference in the results obtained could be attributable to the low intensity of the control group’s physical activity program. Indeed, it has already been shown that any physical activity of moderate intensity has a beneficial effect on sleep. In this sense, the difference obtained in the clinical trial could have been smaller.
Nevertheless, it seems that the regular practice of Tai Ji Quan can be an effective and safe alternative to drugs to improve the quality of sleep in the elderly.
Several other benefits of Tai Ji Quan on the general physical well-being of seniors are scientifically documented. Studies show that this martial art allows older people to improve their balance and thus reduce the risk of falls, in addition to having a positive effect on their cardiovascular health and their ability to concentrate.
Martin LaSalle – PasseportSanté.net
According to Medical news.
1. Li F, Fisher KJ, Harmer P, Irbe D, Tearse RG, Weimer C, Tai chi and self-rated quality of sleep and daytime sleepiness in older adults: a randomized controlled trial, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, June 2004, Vol. 52, No 6, 892-900.
2. Marc I, Tai chi improves the quality of sleep in the elderly, Medical news, February 16, 2005, Vol. 26, No 7, 42-3.
