Walking is more effective than yoga at reducing sleep disturbance in cancer patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Author: Tang MF1, Chiu HY2, Xu X3, Kwok JY3, Cheung DST3, Chen CY4, Lin CC5
Affiliation:
1School of Nursing, College of Nursing, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Nursing, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Center for Nursing and Healthcare Research in Clinical Practice Application, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
2School of Nursing, College of Nursing, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Research Center of Sleep Medicine, School of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
3School of Nursing, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong.
4Department of Medical Research, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; Biostatistics Center, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
5School of Nursing, College of Nursing, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; School of Nursing, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong; Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Charity Foundation Professor in Nursing, Hong Kong. Electronic address: cclin@hku.hk.
Conference/Journal: Sleep Med Rev.
Date published: 2019 May 24
Other: Volume ID: 47 , Pages: 1-8 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2019.05.003. [Epub ahead of print] , Word Count: 158


This review aimed to determine whether walking is more effective than yoga at improving sleep disturbance in cancer patients. A systematic search of randomized controlled trials was performed in the PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Airiti Library, and other health-related databases. Twenty-five studies were identified with a total of 1918 participants. The Pittsburgh sleep quality index was the most commonly used outcome measurement tool, and moderate-intensity walking was the most frequently used intervention. The majority of the included subjects were breast cancer patients. Overall, walking significantly improved sleep disturbance compared to yoga (p = 0.01). Statistically significant moderators included adherence rate for walking (p < 0.001) and allocation concealment and outcome measurement tool for yoga (p = 0.04; p = 0.03). We concluded that walking is more effective than yoga in improving sleep disturbance in cancer patients. Thus, moderate-intensity walking is recommended for cancer patients with sleep disturbance.

Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

KEYWORDS: Cancer patients; Exercise; PSQI; Sleep disturbance

PMID: 31207341 DOI: 10.1016/j.smrv.2019.05.003

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