NEWS FLASH

newsflash

TAI CHI IMPROVES SLEEP

Regular exercise, such as walking, running, and resistance exercise, can improve sleep. But if those don’t appeal to you, tai chi is another option.

An international team of researchers compared the effects of conventional exercise, tai chi, or no exercise on sleep in a group of 320 older adults with insomnia. As well as monitoring subjective data, researchers tracked sleep patterns with wrist-worn devices.

The exercise and tai chi programs consisted of three onehour classes per week for 12 weeks. Compared to participants who did not exercise, those who did conventional exercise or tai chi fell asleep more easily, woke up fewer times during the night, spent less time awake while in bed, and relied less on sleeping pills.

At the end of the study and at follow-up checks two years later, those who practiced tai chi were more likely to no longer suffer from insomnia than those who did conventional exercise.

Other research that covered a total of nearly 1,000 people found that tai chi can improve sleep for adults of all ages—including those who are healthy and those who suffer from chronic health conditions. In these studies, tai chi was practiced between 1.5 and 3 hour per week for 6–24 weeks.

GETTING VACCINATED?

TAKE A MULTIVITAMIN

Vaccines help your immune system fight off infections by building protective antibodies—and a healthier immune system does a better job of producing those antibodies. To that end, research shows that a supplement that enhances natural immune function, such as a multivitamin, may increase the effectiveness of vaccination.

Studies of this connection have examined responses to flu vaccines in older people, whose immune systems are typically less responsive. Vaccines against Covid-19 are too new to be studied in a similar way.

Key nutrients that enhance immune function and vaccine response include vitamins A (including beta-carotene), B6, B12, folate, C, and D. Key minerals include zinc, selenium, iron, and copper.

Pycnogenol Relieves FIBROMYALGIA SYMPTOMS

A proprietary extract of French maritime pine bark, Pycnogenol, can relieve symptoms of fibromyalgia, according to an Italian study that compared the effects of the supplement and a placebo in a group of 50 women suffering from the condition. Researchers found that taking 150 mg of Pycnogenol daily for 4 weeks can reduce pain and other fibromyalgia symptoms, including headaches, mental fogginess, and digestive issues. In addition, women taking Pycnogenol used less over-the-counter pain medication.