Tai chi

Tai chi is a form of exercise that began as a Chinese tradition. It’s based on martial arts and involves slow movements and deep breaths. Tai chi has many physical and emotional benefits. Some of the benefits of tai chi include decreased anxiety and depression and improvements in cognitionTrusted Source. It may also help you manage symptoms of some chronic diseases, such as fibromyalgiaTrusted Source or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)Trusted Source.

One of the main benefits of tai chi is its ability to reduce stress and anxiety, though most evidence is anecdotal. In 2018, one studyTrusted Source compared the effects of tai chi on stress-related anxiety to traditional exercise. The study included 50 participants. The researchers found that tai chi provided the same benefits for managing stress-related anxiety as exercise. Because tai chi also includes meditation and focused breathing, the researchers noted that tai chi may be superior to other forms of exercise for reducing stress and anxiety. However, a larger-scale study is needed. Tai chi is very accessible and lower impact than many other forms of exercise. The researchers found it to be safe and inexpensive, so it may be a good option if you are otherwise healthy and experiencing stress-related anxiety.

Tai chi may help improve your mood if you are depressed or anxious. Preliminary research suggests that regularly practicing tai chi can reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression. It’s believed that slow, mindful breaths and movements have a positive effect on the nervous system and mood-regulating hormones. Further research is being done to establish a clear link between tai chi and improved mood.

Regularly practicing tai chi may help you to have a more restful sleep. One study trusted Source followed young adults with anxiety after they were prescribed two tai chi classes each week, for 10 weeks. Based on participant reporting, the individuals who practiced tai chi experienced significant improvements in their quality of sleep compared to those in the control group. This same group also experienced a decrease in their anxiety symptoms. Tai chi can improve sleep for older adults, too. In a study published in 2016Trusted Source, researchers found that two months of twice-weekly tai chi classes was associated with better sleep in older adults with cognitive impairment.

Regularly practicing tai chi can result in weight loss. One study tracked changes in weight in a group of adults practicing tai chi five times a week for 45 minutes. At the end of the 12 weeks, these adults lost a little over a pound without making any additional lifestyle changes.

Tai chi may improve cognition in older adults with cognitive impairment. More specifically, tai chi may help improve memory and executive functioning skills like paying attention and carrying out complex tasks.

Tai chi can help improve trusted Source balance and motor function and reduce the fear of falling in older adults. It can also reduce actual falls after 8 weeks of practice, and significantly reduce falls after 16 weeks of training. Because fear of falling can reduce independence and quality of life, and falls can lead to severe complications, tai chi may offer the additional benefit of improving quality of life and general well-being trusted Source in older adults.

Tai chi may complement traditional methods for the management of certain chronic diseases. Results from a 2018 study by a trusted Source showed that a consistent tai chi practice could decrease the symptoms of fibromyalgia in some people. Participants in the study who practiced tai chi for 52 weeks exhibited more significant improvements in their fibromyalgia-related symptoms compared to participants practicing aerobics. Learn about other alternative treatments for fibromyalgia symptoms.