The Effect of Foot Massage on Sleep Disorders among Mothers in Postpartum Period

Postpartum period is transition to a critical stage and the rapid changes that are experienced during postpartum expose mothers to unpleasant experiences such as changes in sleep pattern. Massage as one of the complementary therapies lead mothers to accelerate recovery in sleep disorders. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of foot massage to improve sleep disorders in post partum mothers. This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 60 primiparous women who referred to health care centers in Khoramshahr، Iran in 2011. Samples were divided randomly into two groups (30 women in intervention group and 30 women in control group). Data were collected by a questionnaire included demographic characteristics and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. The intervention group received a single 30-minute foot massage session each evening at the same time for five consecutive days and the control group has not received any intervention. Research information were collected on enrollment (13th day after delivery)، immediately after intervention and one week after the intervention were collected. Data were analyzed by SPSS software version 17، repeated measure، chi-square and paired t-tests. P value less than 0. 05 was considered significant. Mean of Pittsburgh sleep quality index in before، immediately after and a week after intervention showed significance differences (p<0. 001) at the end of study. Foot massage was effective on improvement sleep disorders in mothers. Therefore foot massage is recommended to enhance the quality of postpartum care.