Tai chi and sleep: research overview

Not medical advice. This page lists research about tai chi and sleep. It does not say whether tai chi works for any person or condition. Talk to a qualified health professional before starting a new exercise program, especially if you have a medical condition.

Studies in PubMed

19 (tagged with “Sleep” as a major topic)

Years

2004–2026

Registered trials

0 on ClinicalTrials.gov

Types of studies

Each study is counted once, under its strongest type in this order: meta-analysis, systematic review, randomized controlled trial, clinical trial, review, observational study.

Studies, newest first

1. Mapping global research trends of Tai Chi for sleep health: Scientometric insights and network-based perspectives. — Complementary therapies in medicine, 2026 · DOIReview
2. At least 150 min per week of Tai chi practice improves sleep quality in the older people: evidence from a meta-analysis. — European geriatric medicine, 2025 · DOIMeta-AnalysisReview
3. Effects of Exercise on Sleep in Older Adults: An Overview of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. — Journal of aging and physical activity, 2022 · DOIMeta-Analysis
4. Effect of Tai Chi on depression symptoms and sleep quality among older adult women after exercise cessation. — Research in sports medicine (Print), 2021 · DOI
5. Effects of Mind-Body Interventions Involving Meditative Movements on Quality of Life, Depressive Symptoms, Fear of Falling and Sleep Quality in Older Adults: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis. — International journal of environmental research and public health, 2020 · DOIMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
6. Effects of physical activity programs on sleep outcomes in older adults: a systematic review. — The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 2020 · DOISystematic Review
7. "You Snooze, You Win!"-Minding Our Sleep. — Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.), 2019 · DOI
8. Efficacy of mindfulness-based intervention ('mindfulness-based joyful sleep') in young and middle-aged individuals with insomnia using a biomarker of inflammatory responses: a prospective protocol of a randomised controlled trial in China. — BMJ open, 2019 · DOI
9. Integrative Approaches for Sleep Health in Cancer Survivors. — Cancer journal (Sudbury, Mass.), 2019 · DOIReview
10. Effect of Tai Ji Quan training on self-reported sleep quality in elderly Chinese women with knee osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled trail. — Sleep medicine, 2017 · DOIRandomized Controlled Trial
11. Subjective perceived impact of Tai Chi training on physical and mental health among community older adults at risk for ischemic stroke: a qualitative study. — BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 2017 · DOIRandomized Controlled Trial
12. The effect of meditative movement on sleep quality: A systematic review. — Sleep medicine reviews, 2016 · DOISystematic Review
13. Sleep quality of middle-aged Tai Chi practitioners. — Japan journal of nursing science : JJNS, 2015 · DOI
14. Taichi exercise for self-rated sleep quality in older people: a systematic review and meta-analysis. — International journal of nursing studies, 2015 · DOIMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
15. A randomized controlled trial of Tai chi for balance, sleep quality and cognitive performance in elderly Vietnamese. — Clinical interventions in aging, 2012 · DOIRandomized Controlled Trial
16. Changes in mindfulness, well-being, and sleep quality in college students through taijiquan courses: a cohort control study. — Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.), 2011 · DOI
17. Effect of Pilates and taiji quan training on self-efficacy, sleep quality, mood, and physical performance of college students. — Journal of bodywork and movement therapies, 2009 · DOIClinical Trial
18. Practicing tai chi may help seniors get a better night's sleep. — Mayo Clinic women's healthsource, 2009
19. Tai chi and self-rated quality of sleep and daytime sleepiness in older adults: a randomized controlled trial. — Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2004Clinical TrialRandomized Controlled Trial

Government health information

The U.S. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health summarizes the evidence on tai chi.

Study list: PubMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine), citation data only. Trials: ClinicalTrials.gov. Retrieved 2026-10-22.

Data: PubMed (NLM citation data, free to use (abstracts not reproduced)); ClinicalTrials.gov (Public domain (U.S. Government work)); NCCIH (Public domain (U.S. Government work)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.