Dance your stress away: comparing the effect of dance/movement training to aerobic exercise training on the cortisol awakening response in healthy older adults

This study aimed to examine in healthy older adults the effects of dance/movement training (DMT) on the cortisol awakening response (CAR), a marker of chronic stress. Forty participants (mean age = 67.45, 75% women) were randomized into three groups: DMT (  = 12) - a set of exercises to promote gros...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Stress (Amsterdam, Netherlands) Netherlands), 2019-11, Vol.22 (6), p.687-695
Main Authors: Vrinceanu, Tudor, Esmail, Alida, Berryman, Nicolas, Predovan, David, Vu, Thien Tuong Minh, Villalpando, Juan Manuel, Pruessner, Jens C, Bherer, Louis
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Dancing - physiology
Exercise - psychology
Female
Health Status
Humans
Hydrocortisone - metabolism
Male
Saliva
Stress, Psychological
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Summary:This study aimed to examine in healthy older adults the effects of dance/movement training (DMT) on the cortisol awakening response (CAR), a marker of chronic stress. Forty participants (mean age = 67.45, 75% women) were randomized into three groups: DMT (  = 12) - a set of exercises to promote gross motor skills, body awareness, and socialization; aerobic exercise training (AT;  = 14) - high intensity activity on a recumbent bicycle, and wait list (WL;  = 14). Both DMT and AT groups were supervised by licensed instructors and met three times a week for three months. Before and after their respective program, participants of all groups provided saliva samples on 3 d at 0-, 30- and 60-min after awakening, and had their fitness level evaluated. A significant group × time interaction (  = 5.79,  = .01,  = 0.25) was found, with the DMT group showing lower salivary cortisol values post-training, while the other two groups showed no change from baseline in their CAR. Cardiorespiratory fitness improved only in the AT group, while DMT showed no group-specific physical functioning improvements. The results are discussed in terms of the importance of physical and psychological effects of training on change in cortisol levels.
ISSN:1025-3890
1607-8888
DOI:10.1080/10253890.2019.1617690