The effect of Baduanjin on the insomnia of older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Author: Qingfang Liang1, Liping Yang1, Zhifei Wen1, Xiaoli Liang2, Hongyan Wang2, Hong Zhang1, Jing Tian1, Bassema Abufarsakh3, Chizimuzo T C Okoli3, Xiangeng Zhang4
Affiliation: <sup>1</sup> Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 61137, China. <sup>2</sup> Sichuan Nursing Vocational College, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610100, China. <sup>3</sup> University of Kentucky College of Nursing, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA. <sup>4</sup> Sichuan Nursing Vocational College, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610100, China. Electronic address: zhangxiangeng1@163.com.
Conference/Journal: Geriatr Nurs
Date published: 2024 Sep 20
Other: Volume ID: 60 , Pages: 241-248 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1016/j.gerinurse.2024.09.002. , Word Count: 156


Objective:
Baduanjin is a traditional Chinese regimen involving flowing movements, breath control, and strengthening to benefit health and well-being. We investigated the effectiveness of Baduanjin for older adults with insomnia.

Methods:
We assessed eight databases for methodological quality according to the Cochrane Handbook for Evaluation of Interventions, and analyzed by Stata 16.0 software.

Results:
Participants (N = 789) of ten studies were included. The meta-analysis showed that Baduanjin was effective for older adults with insomnia as measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)[WMD =-2.20, 95 %CI (-2.87, -1.74), P = 0.000], and 12 weeks or more of treatment effect was superior to <12 weeks. Moreover, there were significant differences in all dimensions of the PSQI between experimental and control groups.

Conclusions:
Baduanjin is a complementary therapy option for older adults with insomnia. However, high-quality research is still needed to investigate the optimal exercise intensity, duration and frequency for older adults with insomnia.

Keywords: Baduanjin; Insomnia; Older adults.

PMID: 39305546 DOI: 10.1016/j.gerinurse.2024.09.002