The Effectiveness of Education on Factors Affecting Elderly Women's Sleep

Aging is associated with diminished sleep quality and quantity. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of sleep hygiene education (SHE) on sleep quality among elderly women. This limited randomized clinical trial was conducted on 61 elderly woman divided into intervention (n= 30) and control (n=31) groups. For intervention group, five 40-minute training sessions were held Moreover, a questionnaire consisting of demographic information, PSQI, ESS, AMT and ADL was completed for both groups. Sleep quality was assessed before and after the intervention using Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Data analysis was conducted using SPSS 16 with T- test, Paired t-test, Chi-Square test and Fisher’s exact test. Results indicated that there was no significant difference between two groups (control-intervention) in the sleep quality before training, but a significant difference was found between these two groups after training. Therefore, education has affected the quality of sleep (P=0.007). According to the results of this study, it can be concluded that SHE has led to an increase of sleep quality in the elderly women. Therefore, these methods can be trained to Health Center staff, nurses, patients and their companions to promote the sleep quality.