Abstract

Aim. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Progressive Muscle Relaxation Technique (PMRT) on nurses' insomnia in Tehran Heart Center .

Background. Insomnia is a highly prevalent health complaint in adults in recent century, which make some nurses involved. Pharmacological and cognitive-behavioral therapies are effective for the treatment of insomnia however, the current treatments are associated with side effects and may reduce the level of accuracy.

Methods. This was a randomized, controlled clinical trial that involved all nurses of Tehran Heart Center using ISI questionnaire. Among nurses with  diagnosis of insomnia,60 people were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group was taught PMRT and asked to do exercises before sleep, while the control group had no intervention.During a month, performing PMRT was reminded verbally or via short message service. After one month both experimental and control groups were re-evaluated by the ISI questionnaire.

Findings. As compared to the control group, the PMRT group had significantly lower post-treatment scores for insomnia severity (p < 0.001). The insomnia severity in the PMRT group was  significantly lower than that in the control group.

Conclusion. This study showed that PMRT might be effective in reducing insomnia in shift-work nurses with insomnia. This treatment leads to clinically significant sleep improvement within 4 weeks. Follow-up studies are required to find whether these improvements last for a long period of time.