Acupressure and Sleep Quality in Elderly Care (ASEQ)

Duzce University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Sleep Disorders

Treatments: Behavioral: Acupressure Therapy

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT07277725

2018/25

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study was carried out in a prospective randomized controlled experimental design in order to evaluate the effect of acupressure on sleep quality and day sleepiness in individuals living in an elderly care center. The study sample consisted of 75 elderly individuals, 38 in experimental and 37 in control groups, who met the inclusion criteria, living in three different care institutions in Düzce. The data were collected using the Elderly Information Form, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). Twelve sessions of acupressure were applied to the individuals in the experimental group every other day three times a week for four weeks. Acupressure was applied to Shenmen (HT7), Neiguan (P6), and Sanyinjiao (SP6) acupressure points. The PSQI and ESS were applied on the elderly in the experimental group before and after the application, and on the elderly in the control group before the application and at the end of the 12-session acupressure application in the experimental group. The PSQI and ESS were applied in both groups again one month after the last application. It was found that subjective sleep quality and sleep duration increased, sleep latency decreased, habitual sleep efficiency was regulated, and sleep disorders and daytime dysfunction declined through the application of acupressure in the elderly receiving institutional care. It was determined that the total PSQI score decreased and the quality of sleep increased in the experimental group following the application. Moreover, the ESS score and day sleepiness decreased in the experimental group following the application. Consequently, it was concluded that acupressure could be a supplementary and supportive method to be used for sleep disorders in the elderly.

Enrollment: 75 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 65+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Age 65 years and older
• Able to provide informed consent
• Living in the nursing home during the study period
• Willing to participate in acupressure sessions and assessments
• Adequate cognitive ability to complete questionnaires (PSQI, ESS)

Exclusion criteria

• Severe cognitive impairment or dementia preventing questionnaire completion
• Presence of acute psychiatric disorder or severe communication difficulties
• Current use of sedative/hypnotic medications affecting sleep quality
• Severe medical conditions (e.g., terminal illness, unstable cardiovascular disease) that contraindicate participation

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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75 participants in 2 patient groups

Intervention Group

Experimental group

Description:

Participants in the intervention group received acupressure therapy. Acupressure was applied to Shenmen (HT7), Neiguan (P6), and Sanyinjiao (SP6) points. Sessions were conducted three times per week, every other day, for four weeks (12 sessions in total).

Treatment:

Behavioral: Acupressure Therapy

Control Group

No Intervention group

Description:

Participants in the control group did not receive any intervention during the study period. They were assessed at the same time points as the intervention group using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS).