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

Abstract

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 (n = 12) - a set of exercises to promote gross motor skills, body awareness, and socialization; aerobic exercise training (AT; n = 14) - high intensity activity on a recumbent bicycle, and wait list (WL; n = 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 (F_(2,34) = 5.79, p = .01, η²_partial = 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.

Keywords: Dance; aerobic training; cortisol; stress.