The Effect of Progressive Muscle Relaxation Exercises on Sleep Quality in Patients Receiving Hemodialysis Treatment: A Randomized Controlled Study

Objective: This study evaluated the effect of progressive muscle relaxation exercises (PMRE) applied to patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD) treatment due to chronic kidney disease on sleep quality. Materials and Methods: The research was conducted between March 1 and September 30, 2022, with 76 participants in a private dialysis center in Konya Province, Turkey. Using a randomized controlled research design, we divided the participants into 38 experimental and 38 control groups. We collected data using the "personal information form" and the "Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI)". IBM SPSS 26 software performed the statistical analysis of the obtained data. When the parametric test assumptions were met, the ""Student's t-test" was used to evaluate differences between the two independent groups; otherwise, the "Mann-Whitney U test" was employed. The relationship between categorical variables was assessed using Fisher's exact test and chi-square tests. Results: In the intervention group undergoing PMRE, it was determined that the PSQI total sleep score and its subdimensions, including subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, and daytime dysfunction (except for the sleep medication use subdimension), had a significantly positive effect compared to the control group at the eighth week (p<0.001). Conclusion: In line with these findings, it has been determined that PMRE improve sleep quality in patients undergoing HD treatment. It is recommended that HD patients be educated about PMRE and that the exercises be taught.