The effects of medical Qigong treatments for sleep on Athletes

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

No words can express my appreciation and gratitude to my research advisor _______ through the course of this research, Professor _____has taught me numerous values that extend well beyond the realm of _________ (Your Subject Name). His emphasis on dedication to work and his valuable and practical insights of life are some of the major highlights of my education at The University _________. To Professor _____, I say with great respect, thank you very much.

It is a great honor for me to have Professor _______ on my dissertation committee.

DECLARATION

I [type your full first names and surname here], declare that the contents of this dissertation/thesis represent my own unaided work, and that the dissertation/thesis has not previously been submitted for the academic examination towards any qualification. Furthermore, it represents my own opinions and not necessarily those of the University.

Signed __________________ Date _________________

ABSTRACT

Qigong is a very old and effective medical technique of Chinese medicine and is in use for centuries. Qigong had proved to be useful for a number of diseases. This dissertation had attempted to analyze whether Qigong could help in enhancing the sleep of athletes. Sleep is a very important physiological and psychological requirement for the human body to perform at an optimal level. Sleep is essential for optimal performance in both academics and athletics. Our body recovers from a full day of wakefulness in the process. Without sleep, human beings begin to develop a sleep debt, which could cause serious psychological and physiological detriments. Research has shown that proper sleep could have very good consequences on the performance of an athlete. This dissertation had discovered that Qigong had made a very significant impact on the male and female athletes. The first independent variable, i.e. gender had made a significant impact on the application of Qigong in athletes for enhancing their sleep, i.e. the dependent variable. The second independent variable, age did not had any significant impact on the application of Qigong in athletes.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTII

DECLARATIONIII

ABSTRACTIV

LIST OF TABLESVIII

LIST OF CHARTSIX

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION1

1.1 Background of the study1

1.2 Introduction1

1.3 Problem statement2

1.4 Aims of the research3

1.5 Research questions3

1.6 Variables of the study3

1.7 Hypothesis of the study4

1.7.1 Hypothesis 14

1.7.2 Hypothesis 24

1.7.3 Hypothesis 34

1.7.4 Hypothesis 44

1.7.5 Hypothesis 55

1.8 Rationale of the study5

1.9 Significance of the study6

1.10 Outlay of the study6

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW8

2.1 China -Ancient Wisdom of Health8

2.2 Overview of Eastern Medicine and Qigong10

2.3 Mechanisms of Health Benefits of Qigong in Western Medicine12

2.4 Sleep12

2.5 The Function of Sleep15

2.6 Research on sleep and athlete performance15

2.7 The gap in literature16

2.8 Summary20

CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY21

3.1 Possible research methods21

3.2 A comparison of qualitative and quantitative research methods22

3.3 Research tools utilized22

3.3.1 Secondary data collection22

3.3.2 Primary data collection and analysis22

3.3.3 Application of statistical tools for data analysis23

3.4 Application of cross-sectional research design for primary data collection23

3.5 Research method and design appropriateness24

3.6 Rationale for applying a mixed research design25

3.7 Data analysis techniques applied26

3.8 Population and sampling26

3.8.1 Population26

3.8.2 Sampling procedure26

3.8.3 Sample27

3.9 Informed Consent from the research participants27

3.10 Confidentiality measures of the research ...