A NEW study suggests tai chi might be the bedtime hero we didn't know we needed.
Middle-aged and older people battling chronic insomnia have found that waving their arms slowly in the park works almost as well as sessions with a therapist.
Chronic insomnia in older adults has been linked to increased risks of cardiovascular diseases, mental disorders and cognitive impairment.
While cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is the gold standard, it can be expensive and there aren't enough therapists available.
So researchers asked: "Can tai chi kick insomnia's butt?"
Previous studies have shown the benefits of the practice for insomnia, but it hasn't been directly compared with treatments such as CBT.
They rounded up 200 people over 50, with half doing a tai chi program, and the other half CBT.
After three months, CBT was more effective, but a year down the track, tai chi was holding its own, as reported in The BMJ.
As a bonus, no one got hurt, everyone felt better, and tai chi might just be the cheapest ticket to Snoozeville.
The authors noted that the positive effects of tai chi may be partially due to participants' continued practice after the end of the interventions.
"Our study supports tai chi as an alternative treatment approach for the long term management of chronic insomnia in middle aged and older adults," the team concluded.
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