Spirit Research

Tai chi showed no sleep advantage in a trial of older male cancer survivors

Sleep quality did not differ significantly among older male cancer survivors assigned to tai chi qigong, a comparable exercise class or usual care, Bioengineer.org reports. Both movement groups recorded modest short-term improvements in sleep measures, but neither outperformed usual care at the main assessment after the classes.

The randomized controlled trial, a study in which participants are assigned to groups by chance, was led by Evelyn Arana-Chicas of Rutgers Cancer Institute and published in Brain Medicine. Medical Xpress reports that the researchers focused on men aged 55 and older who had completed primary cancer treatment and had clinically significant fatigue.

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The trial matched two movement classes#

According to Bioengineer.org, the 113 participants recruited in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and Albuquerque, New Mexico, had an average age of 69. Both exercise programs lasted 12 weeks, with one-hour sessions twice a week.

Medical Xpress reports that the tai chi qigong class combined breathing, flowing movements and guided relaxation across 19 exercises. A qigong master or certified instructor taught the sessions, and some exercises could be done from a chair. Tai chi originated as a Chinese martial art and is also practiced as exercise, according to Wikipedia.

Two exercise physiologists designed the comparison class to match the tai chi qigong sessions in intensity, posture and muscle activation, Medical Xpress reports. It used controlled stretching and repetitive exercises. Attendance was 78.4 percent in the tai chi qigong group and 76.8 percent in the matched class; participants rated the programs as similarly credible.

An earlier trial used a waitlist#

As many as 60 percent of people experience sleep disturbances after primary cancer treatment, News-Medical.Net reports. Research into behavioral approaches to insomnia has focused mostly on women with breast cancer, leaving older men less represented in the evidence.

A separate study included more than 500 survivors with different cancer types and stages, BIOENGINEER reports. Participants could select either a mindfulness program or a tai chi and qigong program. Those who expressed no preference were assigned one, and the researchers used a waitlist group for comparison.

BIOENGINEER reports that sleep problems improved particularly among participants who practiced tai chi and qigong. Both programs were associated with reduced fatigue and less interference from pain in daily activities, while their effects on pain intensity were minimal.

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