• Yuhao Si, Cenyi Wang, Jinghui Zheng, Yang Guo, Guihua Xu, and Yong Ma.
• The First School of Clinical Medicine, Laboratory for New Techniques of Restoration & Reconstruction of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing.
• Medicine (Baltimore). 2019 Nov 1; 98 (45): e17556e17556.

BackgroundSleep plays a crucial role in the general health of the human body. However, sleep problems become increasingly severe with age, and its incidence is on the rise. Notably, Tai Chi exercise may be an efficacious means to ameliorate sleep problems among older adults. This is especially since Tai Chi has been widely used to manage sleep problems in China for many years, but there is limited evidence regarding its effectiveness. We will conduct this study aiming to investigate the efficacy of Tai Chi as a complementary and alternative therapy for sleep problems in older adults.MethodsWe will systematically search Scopus, Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang database from their inceptions to August 2019. Only randomized controlled trials of Tai Chi for sleep problems among older adults will be considered for inclusion and the Pittsburgh sleep quality index will be the primary outcome measurement. Moreover, study selection, data extraction, and the evaluation of the methodological quality of trials will each be independently completed by at least 2 researchers. We will employ the software Stata version 12.0 to implement the statistical analysis.ResultsThe current systematic review and meta-analysis will provide synthesized results of the effectiveness and safety of Tai Chi exercise for sleep problems among older adults.ConclusionThis systematic review and meta-analysis will provide high-quality evidence on the effectiveness and safety of Tai Chi exercise for sleep problems in older adults.RegistrationPEROSPERO CRD42019129782.

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