Effects of Tai Chi Qigong on sleep quality in older male cancer survivors: A randomized controlled clinical trial

To compare the efficacy of Tai Chi and Qigong (TCQ) versus exercise intensity-matched (EIM) and usual care (UC) on sleep quality in older male cancer survivors. We conducted a three-arm randomized controlled trial among male cancer survivors aged 55 years and older. Participants were randomized to UC or one of two group-based interventions (TCQ or EIM), delivered twice weekly for 12 weeks with follow-up through 12 months. Sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Linear contrasts estimated within-arm changes and between-arm differences with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). A total of 113 participants (mean age 69.1 (SD = 7 years); 77.0% White; 88.5% non-Hispanic) were enrolled. At 3-months post-intervention, between-arm differences in sleep quality were not significant ( p > 0.05). The EIM arm showed significant within-arm improvements in sleep quality at the 6-week midpoint ( p = 0.004), 1-week post-intervention ( p = 0.048), and 3 months post-intervention ( p = 0.011) from baseline. The TCQ arm showed nonsignificant trends toward within-arm improvement in sleep quality at the same time points. No significant effects were observed at 12 months. The EIM arm significantly improved sleep efficiency at 3 months compared with TCQ ( p = 0.04). By 12 months, 62% of TCQ participants achieved clinical remission of sleep disturbance (PSQI ≤5), compared with 47% in the EIM arm and 43% in the UC arm ( p > 0.05). Attendance was similar across TCQ (78.4%) and EIM (76.8%). TCQ and EIM produced modest short-term improvements in sleep quality among older male survivors.