International Journal of Health Sciences & Research (www.ijhsr.org) 141 Vol.9; Issue: 5; May 2019 International Journal of Health Sciences and Research www.ijhsr.org ISSN: 2249-9571 Original Research Article Effect of Baduanjin Exercises on Sleep, Anxiety and Quality of Life in 50-70 Years Old Population Ruchira Ramesh 1 , Dr Mayuri Shah 2 1 Intern, Dr. D.Y. Patil College of Physiotherapy, Pune 2 Assistant Professor, Dr. D.Y. Patil College of Physiotherapy, Pune Corresponding Author: Ruchira Ramesh ABSTRACT Background: Although Baduanjin exercise has been found effective in improving sleep in different population however its effects on sleep, anxiety and quality of life remain unclear in the elderly population. The purpose of the study is to compare the effect of Baduanjin exercise versus conventional exercise i.e. brisk walking on sleep, anxiety and quality of life in elderly population. Method: 30 older adults (M age 63.2; SD= 4.84) with scores on Zung self rating anxiety scale-45-59 and Pittsburgh sleep quality index>5 were randomly assigned to either group A or group B. Zung self rating anxiety scale, Pittsburgh sleep quality index and Sf-36 questionnaire were the outcome measures used. The exercises for both the groups were given 5 days/ week for 3 weeks. Group A was given conventional treatment and group B was given Baduanjin exercises. Results: Pre and post measures were noted. Paired t test was used to check the statistical significance with p<0.05 and unpaired t test was used for between group analysis where p>0.05. Conclusion: Study concludes that Baduanjin exercise and conventional physiotherapy both were equally effective in improving sleep, anxiety issues and quality of life in 50-70 years old population. Keywords: Baduanjin exercise, conventional physiotherapy, sleep, anxiety, quality of life. INTRODUCTION Modern life is characterized by reduced sleep times and worsened sleep quality due to changes in modern lifestyle. More than half of older adults suffer from insomnia and these subjects are often under treated. Sleep disturbances are common symptoms of older adults and are related to various factors including use of caffeine, tobacco, alcohol, co morbid diseases. [1] Subjects who present with sleep disturbances should be screened for sleep apnea syndrome, restless leg syndrome, psychiatric diseases like depression and anxiety compared with younger people, and elderly people show age related sleep changes including an advanced sleep phase which results in fragmented sleep and early awakening. (1) Several physical and psychological changes are known to occur with aging. However adjustment to changes in sleep quality and quantity can be among the most difficult. [2] Although sleep disturbances is a a common complaint among patients of all ages, research suggest that older adults are particularly vulnerable. (2) Sleep consists of 2 main phases: Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and Non rapid eye movement sleep. Studies comparing sleep in older adults to younger adults found that older adults spent less time in deeper stages of sleep. (2) A large study of over 9,000 adults age of more than 65 years found that 42% of participants reported difficulty in initiating and