The Effect of Tai Chi for Improving Sleep Quality

July 26, 2020 - Sleep quality is a major concern around the world, yet currently there are no recognized non-pharmacological treatments. A systematic review and meta-analysis by a team of Chinese scientists investigated Tai Chi's effect on patients with sleep complaints, both those with insomnia and those with other conditions.

In this new study to be published by Journal of affective disorders, 4 English language databases and 4 Chinese databases were searched from database inception through June 23, 2019. Searches were conducted in both English and Chinese language.

Twenty randomized controlled studies from five countries covering 1,703 patients were included and divided into two control groups. Tai Chi had a significant effect on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) compared with non-treatment and active treatment groups. Moreover, the articles were divided into groups according to Tai Chi styles. Both 24-form Yang-style Tai Chi and 8-form Yang-style Tai Chi had significant effects on PSQI.

One limitation of this project was that there were some forms of insomnia for which conclusions could not be drawn. Also, no relationship between efficacy and any of the factors could be elucidated.

Compared with non-therapeutic and other active treatments, Tai Chi has a positive effect on improving sleep quality. In-depth analysis showed that 24-form and 8-form Yang style Tai Chi have significant positive effects on sleep quality, as assessed by PSQI.