Week 0: An Introduction

Hi everyone! My name is Joleen, and welcome to the first blog post of my senior project. In this post, I will discuss some background information and show everyone the connection between Qigong, insomnia, and menopause.

Background: Qigong is a form of calming exercise to optimize energy within the body. When I was young, my parents constantly took classes with a Qigong master at his clinic. They still actively practice Qigong, whether at 7 AM before sending me off to school or when shopping at Costco. Whenever I had trouble sleeping, they would perform Qigong to help us. I can recount several times where Qigong has effectively helped me to decrease insomnia and other health-related problems. I found that every time my parents performed Qigong, I could fall asleep much more quickly than if they didn’t. Thus, I became curious if Qigong could help decrease insomnia in various people. At the same time, many women around me are currently going through menopause, the time that marks the end of a woman’s menstrual cycle, and thus struggle with hot flashes and difficulty sleeping. Through my project, I hope to dive deeper into a practice I grew up with. Please join me on this journey as I research how Qigong can help decrease insomnia symptoms in menopausal women!

Recent estimates of the prevalence of insomnia in women with menopause range from 40 to 50%. Insomnia impacts both mental health and physical health, including cardiometabolic and neurocognitive diseases, and significantly increases medical expenses. Although there is previous research on how Qigong helps to improve insomnia symptoms, there is limited research done on the correlation between Qigong and menopause. Self-management using Qigong can provide a less labor-intensive approach to help menopausal women achieve better management of their insomnia, especially given the heavy work burden on healthcare providers. Since Qigong can be easily self-practiced at home, my project is a feasible option for many women.

My project: Qigong can be easily self-practiced at home. My project is a feasible option for many women. I will use Bai Dua Jin Gigong, which has eight easy-to-learn movements (the entire set can be done in 10 minutes) to improve sleep quality in menopausal women. The theory behind the therapeutic effect of qigong is its promotion of circulation in the entire body, including the brain, which can enhance sleep quality. My goal is to have participants practice qigong-based intervention daily, which may help to reduce morbidity in women with menopause. My study is innovative in the following ways: 1) Qigong is an easy-to-follow qigong-based intervention for insomnia; 2) Qigong is low cost because it does not depend on intensive clinician time or medications. By the end of the project, I hope to gain a thorough understanding of the psychology behind Qigong and its positive influences on the human body. Join me next week as we take a deeper dive into my project!