Effects of tai chi chuan on anxiety and sleep quality in young adults: lessons from a randomized controlled feasibility study

Abstract

ObjectiveTo determine feasibility and estimate the effect of a 10-week tai chi chuan (TCC) intervention on anxiety and sleep quality in young adults.ParticipantsSeventy-five adults (18–40 years) from a predominately undergraduate midsized university.MethodsThis was an assessor blinded, randomized feasibility trial, and participants were randomized into one of three groups: 10 weeks of TCC meeting 2 times per week, 10 weeks of TCC with a DVD of the curriculum, and control group receiving a handout on anxiety management. Anxiety and sleep quality were assessed 4 times: baseline, 4 weeks, 10 weeks (immediate post-intervention), and 2 months post-intervention. Retention was defined as a participant attending the baseline assessment and at least one other assessment. Adherence to the intervention was set a priori as attendance at 80% of the TCC classes.ResultsEighty-five percent of participants were retained during the intervention and 70% completed the 2 month follow-up assessments. To increase statistical power, the two TCC groups were combined in the analyses of anxiety and sleep quality measures. No significant changes in anxiety were found in the control group, while levels of anxiety decreased significantly over time in the two TCC groups. Sleep quality scores improved across time for all three groups, but adherent TCC participants reported greater improvement than control participants.ConclusionTCC may be an effective nonpharmaceutical means of improving anxiety and poor sleep quality in young adults.

The Effect of Tai Chi Chuan on Negative Emotions in Non-Clinical Populations: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review

“…Moreover, since it originates from Taoism, TCC practice stresses the harmony of mind and body as well as the simultaneous state of relaxation and concentration. Currently, clinical studies (e.g., attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, asthma) also found beneficial effects on emotion among adolescence [26,27] and children [28,67], as well as young adults [29,68]. TCC contains multiple components including mindfulness, deep breathing and aerobic exercise, which contribute together to its overall effect of negative emotions towards all age populations.…”

Can Tai Chi and Qigong Postures Shape Our Mood? Toward an Embodied Cognition Framework for Mind-Body Research

“…This evidence adds to research showing positive benefits of conventional exercise on psychological well-being (Asmundson et al, 2013 ; Jayakody et al, 2014 ; Catalan-Matamoros et al, 2016 ; Kvam et al, 2016 ; Stubbs et al, 2017 ). Although few large scale randomized trials have been conducted to evaluate TCQ specifically for primary complaints of mood disorders, multiple smaller trials (Chou et al, 2004 ; Liu et al, 2015 ; Caldwell et al, 2016 ; Yeung et al, 2017 ) and larger trials evaluating depression and anxiety comorbid with other conditions (e.g., pain, heart failure, cancer) (Wang et al, 2010b , 2016 ; Yeh et al, 2013 ; Tao et al, 2016 ; Wieczorrek et al, 2016 ) collectively suggest that TCQ may be an effective and safe non-pharmacological therapy for preventing and managing mood disorders [see Payne and Crane-Godreau ( 2013 ) and Saeed et al ( 2010 ) for comprehensive reviews].…”

Can Tai Chi and Qigong Postures Shape Our Mood? Toward an Embodied Cognition Framework for Mind-Body Research

“…This evidence adds to research showing positive benefits of conventional exercise on psychological well-being (Asmundson et al, 2013;Jayakody et al, 2014;Catalan-Matamoros et al, 2016;Kvam et al, 2016;Stubbs et al, 2017). Although few large scale randomized trials have been conducted to evaluate TCQ specifically for primary complaints of mood disorders, multiple smaller trials (Chou et al, 2004;Liu et al, 2015;Caldwell et al, 2016;Yeung et al, 2017) and larger trials evaluating depression and anxiety comorbid with other conditions (e.g., pain, heart failure, cancer) (Wang et al, 2010b(Wang et al, , 2016Yeh et al, 2013;Tao et al, 2016;Wieczorrek et al, 2016) collectively suggest that TCQ may be an effective and safe non-pharmacological therapy for preventing and managing mood disorders [see Payne and Crane-Godreau (2013) and Saeed et al (2010) for comprehensive reviews].…”