From the ArcaMax Publishing, Health & Fitness Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/healthtips/s-367572-848418
LOS ANGELES (UPI) -- Practicing tai chi chih, the Westernized version
of a 2,000-year-old Chinese martial art, promotes sleep quality in
older adults, U.S. researchers say.
Researchers at the University of California-Los Angeles studied 112
healthy adults ages 59-86, who were randomly assigned to one of two
groups for a 25-week period. The first group practiced 20 simple tai
chi chih moves; the other participated in health education classes
that included advice on stress management, diet and sleep habits.
At the beginning of the study, participants were asked to rate their
sleep based on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, a self-rated
questionnaire that assesses sleep quality, duration and disturbances
over a one-month interval.
The study, published in the journal Sleep, found the tai chi chih
group showed improved sleep quality and a remission of clinical
impairments, such as drowsiness during the day and inability to
concentrate, compared with those receiving health education.
"Poor sleeping constitutes one of the most common difficulties facing
older adults," lead study author Dr. Michael Irwin of the David Geffen
School of Medicine at UCLA said in a statement.