We have plenty of studies that exercise improves sleep, both in people with regular sleep patterns and those struggling with insomnia.
This particular study, which concludes that yoga and tai chi are even better than most exercise, seems to be based on more limited data.
Rather than chase after the type of exercise that has the best results in a particular study, it’s probably better to try for the type of exercise you’re most likely to stick with on a regular basis, for better adherence to the general idea of regular exercise. Then get the general benefits of exercise, including improved sleep, that have been broadly proven with many studies.
My god yes. Do whatever you like for physical exertion. I hate cardio and lifting, but I’ll kayak and hike all day.
Funny seeing this in action with my little kids. If they stay inside on their phones all day, up all night. Take 'em out and work their tiny asses, sleeping the sleep of the just. Doesn’t take much!
They buried it in the seventh paragraph: Tai Chi, yoga, walking, jogging.
“As the researchers had expected, people who received CBT saw significant improvements in their sleep quality and duration, as did those who practiced Tai Chi, yoga, and walking or jogging. Of these, yoga was linked to almost two hours of extra sleep compared to controls, while walking or jogging was tied to a significant reduction in the severity of people’s self-reported symptoms. And Tai Chi apparently provided the most benefits for sleep of all the exercises tested.”
Makes sense to me since Tai Chi is a bit like combining meditation, muscle relaxation and low to medium intensity exercise. It also had a positive impact on my sleep.
Do you have any good resources for someone who has never practiced Tai Chi but who would be interested in starting? Is it better to find an instructor locally or are there some decent online options?
I think it’s best to find a local instructor. When you do it online, you have no one to correct your posture. Also if you really want to practice it as a martial art and not just a health exercise, you need partners to practice with. I use online material only as a complementary resource.
It’s also really easy to get lost in esoteric nonsense online to be honest, Tai Chi is associated with Taoism and TCM, and if you go down that rabbit hole, suddenly you find people claiming they can energy heal without even touching others. Just something to be wary of.
