Sleep quality of middle‐aged T ai C hi practitioners

Aim This study aimed to assess the association between T ai C hi and sleep quality in middle‐aged T ai C hi practitioners. Methods This cross‐sectional descriptive study recruited a convenience sample of 250 middle‐aged T ai C hi practitioners. Sleep quality was assessed by the P ittsburgh S leep Q uality I ndex ( PSQI ). Descriptive statistics such as frequency and percentage were used to describe the demographic characteristics of the subjects. P earson's product–moment correlation was used to determine the relationship between sleep quality and duration of practicing T ai C hi. anova was used to compare difference in sleep quality among subjects practicing different styles of T ai C hi. Linear regression was conducted to determine the contribution of duration of practicing T ai C hi and the style of T ai C hi being practiced to explaining sleep quality. Results Subjects had practiced T ai C hi for 4.7 years. They reported a global PSQI score of 5.3. Among the subjects, 156 were classified as good sleepers ( PSQI score, <5). No significant relationship was reported between sleep quality and duration of T ai C hi practice ( P  = 0.175). No significant differences in sleep quality were found among subjects who practiced different styles of T ai C hi ( P  = 0.876). Linear regression analysis indicated that the duration of practicing T ai C hi and the style of T ai C hi being practiced did not make a significant contribution to sleep quality. Conclusion The present study represented an initial attempt to investigate the sleep quality among middle‐aged T ai C hi practitioners. It serves to generate hypotheses for future testing.