Abstract
Background This review aims to investigate the efficacy of Tai Chi Chuan on subjective sleep quality among adults. Methods We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Scopus, CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure), and the Wanfang Database from their inception to August 2019 and identified 25 eligible studies that were published in both English and Chinese. Results 24 out of 25 studies were identified to be high-quality studies according to the PEDro scale. The pooled results confirmed that Tai Chi Chuan elicited moderate improvements in subjective sleep quality (SMD = −0.512, 95% CI [−0.767, −0.257], P < 0.001). Notably, Tai Chi Chuan yielded more significant effects on sleep quality among the healthy population (SMD = −0.684, 95% CI [−1.056, −0.311], P < 0.001) than the clinical population (SMD = −0.395, 95% CI [−0.742, −0.047], P=0.026) and more benefits among the Asian population (SMD = −0.977, 95% CI [−1.446, −0.508], P < 0.001) than the American population (SMD = −0.259, 95% CI [−0.624, 0.105], P=0.164). After controlling the methodological quality of studies, it has been noted that Asians could achieve the most significant sleep-promoting benefit when Tai Chi Chuan was practiced between 60 and 90 min per session. Conclusions Available data implied that subjective sleep quality was improved via Tai Chi training, but more thorough studies must be executed to ascertain our findings and optimize Tai Chi practices accordingly toward various populations.
Highlights
Sleep plays a critical role in the general health of human beings, accounting for almost 1/3 of our lifetimes [1]
Six electronic databases, including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Scopus, CNKI, and the Wanfang Database, were searched to identify trials relating to the effectiveness of Tai Chi Chuan for sleep quality from their inception to August 2019. e following search terms were employed in the English databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Scopus): Tai Chi, Taiji, Tai Chi Chuan, shadowboxing, taijiquan, sleep, sleep quality, sleep complaints, sleep problems, sleep disorders, sleep disturbance, and insomnia. e equivalent Chinese search terms were utilized in Chinese databases
Studies involved in this review met the following criteria: (a) trial assessed the effects of Tai Chi Chuan for sleep quality; (b) the study design was randomized controlled trials (RCTs); (c) participants were adults; (d) the participants practiced Tai Chi Chuan in the experimental group and did not practice Tai Chi Chuan in the control group; (e) the outcome was measured through the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scale; (f ) the trial was published in English or Chinese
Summary
Sleep plays a critical role in the general health of human beings, accounting for almost 1/3 of our lifetimes [1]. Poor sleep quality has become a universal issue in modern society, causing insidious physical and psychological disorders in both healthy individuals as well as clinical patients [2, 3]. Recent epidemiological investigations indicated that approximately 25% of adults had sleep complaints, 10%–15% experienced insomnia symptoms along with daytime consequences, and 6%–10% met the diagnostic criteria for insomnia disorder [4,5,6,7,8,9]. Some indirect consequences caused by poor sleep quality, such as work absenteeism and reduced productivity, may lead to increased economic and social burdens. Despite the pervasiveness and burden of the issue, poor sleep quality is usually overlooked and untreated due to evaluation and management barriers. It is estimated that only approximately 15% of adults with diagnosed insomnia or sleep complaints attempt to seek professional consultation [10]
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