The effect of sleep hygiene education and relaxation exercises on insomnia among postmenopausal women: A randomized clinical trial

Abstract

Aim: This study used a randomized controlled trial model to determine the effect of progressive relaxation exercises and sleep hygiene training given to postmenopausal women with insomnia.

Methods: A total of 161 postmenopausal women with insomnia were recruited and randomly assigned to experimental (n = 81) and control (n = 80) groups. The experimental group received sleep hygiene and progressive relaxation exercise training, but the control group only received routine health care. The relaxation exercise training was repeated once a week for 8 weeks. The study determined the effect of the intervention on insomnia symptoms. The data were collected between 15 June and 15 September 2015 and evaluated using descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test, chi-squared test, and Cronbach alpha analysis.

Results: The mean (SD) score of the experimental group on the Women's Health Initiative Insomnia Rating Scale was 14.03 (3.4) pretest and 7.09 (3.4) posttest. The difference between the pretest and posttest scores was statistically significant (P < .001), as was the difference between the rates of insomnia symptoms between the groups posttest (P < .001).

Conclusion: The findings of study suggest that nurses teaching progressive relaxation exercises and sleep hygiene would benefit postmenopausal women who suffer from insomnia.

Keywords: insomnia; nursing; postmenopausal women; progressive relaxation exercises; sleep hygiene.