The Effect of Foot Reflexology Massage on Sleep Quality in Women With Type 2 Diabetes; a Clinical Study

Sleep disorders are one of the most important problems in patients with diabetes. The most commonly used method for treating sleep disorders is medication therapy. Therefore, it is important to perform an uncomplicated intervention to relieve sleep disorders in these patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of foot reflexology massage on the quality of sleep in women with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Arak city in 2017. This study was a simple randomized clinical trial performed on 54 women with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Patients were randomly divided into control and intervention groups. Before the intervention, Pittsburgh sleep quality questionnaire was completed for both groups. In the intervention group, foot reflexology massage was performed for 8 sessions. After the intervention, sleep quality questionnaire was completed for both patients. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 24 by Mann-Whitney, Chi-square and T-test. Foot reflexology massage improved sleep quality in the intervention group (P<0.001). There was no significant difference in the quality of sleep in the control group (P>0.05). Foot reflexology massage improved the sleep quality of women with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Foot reflexology massage can be used as an effective intervention to improve the quality of sleep in these women.