The effect of active meditation exercise on depression and sleep quality of the elderly

Aim: It was carried out to determine the effect of moving meditation exercise training on depression level and sleep quality in the elderly. Material and Method: The research was carried out between March 2021 and June 2022 as a real trial model with pretest-posttest control group. The research sample consisted of 114 individuals aged 65 and over living in Gaziantep. Elderly individuals were selected to the sample group by simple random sampling method, which is one of the probability sampling methods, and they were randomly ordered. The research was completed with a total of 58 people in the experimental group and 56 people in the control group. Introductory information form, Katz Activities of Daily Living Scale, International Physical Activity Questionnaire, Geriatric Depression Scale, Pittsburg Sleep Quality Scale were used in the study. In the experimental group, an individual exercise group consisting of 4-6 people was formed. Six sessions of moving meditation training counseling were given to each group. Each session is approximately 30-40 min. Results: The depression scale pre-test mean score of the elderly in the experimental group was 7.67±2.09, the post-test mean score was 4.84±1.72; The pre-test mean score of the elderly in the control group was 7.85±2.56, and the post-test mean score was 7.71±2.19. The Pittsburg Sleep Quality Scale pre-test mean score of the elderly in the experimental group was 9.44±3.41, the post-test mean score was 7.37±2.60; The pre-test mean score of the elderly in the control group was 9.00±3.62, and the post-test mean score was 8.62±3.41. Significant improvements were found in depression level, Pittsburg Sleep Quality Scale total score, subjective sleep quality, sleep disturbance and daytime dysfunction sub-dimensions after moving meditation exercise training (p<0.05). Conclusion: Active meditation exercise can reduce the depression level of the elderly individual and improve subjective sleep quality. These results show that moving meditation exercise can be a supportive method for traditional treatments. Keywords: Aging, Tai Chi Qigong Exercises, Depression, Sleep Quality, Nurse