July 15, 2008 – The practice of tai chi could be an effective and inexpensive solution for the elderly struggling with sleep disorders. This is the opinion of the authors of a clinical trial conducted in California with 112 people aged 60 to 86 with insomnia or having restless sleep.
The subjects participated, for 25 weeks, in tai chi chih sessions2, a westernized form of tai chi, including classes on stress management, diet and sleep disorders.
According to the results, nearly two-thirds of subjects in the tai chi chih group noted an improvement in the quality of their sleep compared to one-third of participants in the control group.
The results related to relieving symptoms of sleep disorder with tai chi chih would be comparable to those usually obtained with pharmacological treatment, the researchers note.
Sleep disorders affect 58% of people over the age of 59 and 85% of cases go untreated, say the study’s authors.
Sleep deprivation would have the effect of contributing to the triggering of inflammatory processes, particularly associated with cardiovascular disorders, arthritis and diabetes, according to other results recently published by the lead author of this study, Michael R. Irwin.
Pierre Lefrançois – PasseportSanté.net
1. Irwin MR, Olmstead R et al. Improving Sleep Quality in Older Adults with Moderate Sleep Complaints: a Randomized Controlled Trial of Tai Chi Chih, NewspaperSLEEP, Flight. 31, no. 7, 2008. www.journalsleep.org [Consulté le 15 juillet 2008]
2. Participants in the tai chi chih group were allowed three weekly sessions of 45 minutes each during the first 16 weeks of the trial. During this period, they had to assimilate the 20 movements of tai chi chih, then they were invited to continue their practice alone for the next nine weeks.
