Back Massage to Improve Quality of Sleep among Postpartum Women

Abstract

The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of back massage on improving quality of sleep among postpartum women.An intervention study design was used. The study was conducted at the postnatal units at Damanhur Hospital. A Purposive sampleof sixty women were included in the study, those women were divided into two groups (intervention and control group).Data were collected through using two tools (Structured interviewing questionnaire sheet named "back massage to improve quality of sleep among postpartum women" and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index).The main results of the study were the following: the most common cause of wake up during late months of pregnancy was voiding in both groups . Inaddition the most prominent causes of wake up during postpartum period were breast feeding and baby crying for both groups.There was highly significant improvement in sleep quality in Intervention group at initial time,2nd time and 3rd time. Conclusion and recommendations:the current study concluded that back massage had significantly improved sleep quality among postpartum women as improvement in 3rd time was more than 2nd time.The following is recommended: Nursing staff should be trained on back massage technique and apply it as a part of routine postpartum care.

Key word: Back massage, sleep quality,postpartum