Effects of Tai Chi Chuan practice on sleep quality

• Main Author: Pedro Jesús Jiménez (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Universidad de León, 2012-06-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 2174-0747
• Keywords: Tai Chi Chuan; sleep disorders; sleep quality; quality of life; Sports; GV557-1198.995
• Source: Revista de Artes Marciales Asiáticas, Vol 7, Iss 1, Pp 1-11 (2012)

<p><strong><em>Aim</em></strong><strong>:</strong> This paper reviews international studies on the effects of Tai Chi Chuan (a.k.a. taichi, <em>taiji</em> or <em>taijiquan</em>) on sleep with the aim of clarifying the research framework, which are its causes and effects.</p><p><strong><em>Method: </em></strong>The literature search was carried out on the basis of seven international databases on October 2011.</p><strong><em>Results/Conclusions: </em></strong>The review works on the subject are scarce and address a small number of studies, while specific works confirm that tai chi chuan produces a significant improvement over the stability (sleep disruption) and quality (efficacy and duration) of nighttime sleep, and an overall improvement on daytime sleep, although to enjoy these benefits its required a minimum of practice. The physiological causes that lead to this improvement are still to be determined.