Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice ( IF 2.2 ) Pub Date : 2020-05-14 , DOI: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2020.101197 Li-Qun Yao 1 , Jing-Yu Tan 2 , Catherine Turner 1 , Tao Wang 2 , Xian-Liang Liu 3
Background
Traditional Chinese exercise (TCE) has been found to be an effective and convenient treatment for cancer-related sleep disturbance. This study aimed to summarize and assess the effects of TCE on cancer-related sleep disturbance.
Methods
Randomized controlled trials utilizing TCE for managing cancer-related sleep disturbance were searched in 11 databases. The primary outcome was sleep quality measured by various patient-reported scales, and the secondary outcome was TCE-related adverse events. Descriptive analysis was adopted for outcome assessment.
Results
Ten studies and three ongoing trials were included. TCE had a significantly positive effect on sleep outcomes compared with usual care. However, contradictory findings were reported when comparing TCE with other exercises and a sham intervention.
Conclusion
This study supported a potentially beneficial role of TCE in alleviating cancer-related sleep disturbance. More rigorously designed sham-controlled studies are necessary to further explore the role of TCE in managing cancer-related sleep disturbance.