Efficacy of Qigong exercise on sleep quality in patients with fibromyalgia

Background: Patients with fibromyalgia usually have chronic, widespread musculoskeletal pain and associated fatigue, sleep disturbances, and other cognitive and somatic symptoms. Purpose: To investigate the efficacy of Qigong exercise on sleep quality in patients with fibromyalgia. Methods:Forty-five females with fibromyalgia participated in this study. They were selected from outpatient clinics at Al-Azhar University Hospitals from September to November 2023. Their ages were 30–50 years old. Subjects were subdivided into two groups. The study group, consisting of thirty patients, received Qigong (active and passive) exercise, medical treatment, and an antiinflammatory diet, while the control group, consisting of fifteen patients, received medical treatment and nutritional interventions. Treatment lasted 8 weeks, and the exercises were performed three times per week. The outcome measures were reassessed at baseline and after 8 weeks. Outcome measures included sleep quality and fatigue, which were assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Fatigue Severity Scale, respectively. Results: The results showed that there was a significant decrease in the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Fatigue Severity Scale post-treatment within groups compared with pre-treatment (p > 0.001), while there was no significant difference between groups post-treatment (p> 0.05). Conclusion: Qigong exercise had no additional benefit over the traditional program of medications and diet.