Traditional Chinese exercise for quality of life, cognition, sleep in Parkinson's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

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ObjectiveThis review aims to synthesize the current evidence on the potential effects of Traditional Chinese Exercise (TCE) on cognition, sleep quality, and quality of life (QoL) in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, and to explore intervention characteristics that may be associated with beneficial outcomes.MethodsWe searched five major databases (PubMed, Web of Science, EBSCO, Cochrane, and Scopus) for randomized controlled trials up to March 2025. Studies assessing TCE in patients with PD were included. Data were pooled using the standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI).ResultsFifteen trials met the inclusion criteria. TCE demonstrated significant overall improvements in cognition (SMD = 0.87, 95% CI [0.56, 1.19]), sleep quality (SMD, -0.88, 95% CI [-1.41, -0.34]), and QoL (SMD, -0.48, 95% CI [-0.66, -0.29]). Subgroup analyses revealed that interventions lasting ≥12 weeks and totaling ≥180 min per week may be associated with more favorable outcomes, although these findings should be interpreted cautiously. For exercise type, Tai Chi was particularly effective for cognition (SMD, 0.91, p p p = 0.01). Benefits were also more pronounced in patients with a disease duration of 5 years or more.ConclusionTCE may be beneficial for improving cognition, sleep quality, and QoL in patients with PD. Subgroup findings further suggest that intervention type, duration, and weekly exercise volume may be associated with differential outcomes.

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