Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Sleep is one of the most crucial basic human needs in Maslow's hierarchy, while sleep disorders are the most commonly occurring complications of chemotherapy. OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to determine the effect of progressive muscle relaxation techniques on the sleep quality of patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy. METHODS: This study was a randomized clinical trial performed on patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Ninety cancer patients were selected by the convenience sampling method and randomly assigned into two groups; the progressive muscle relaxation group and the control group. Before the intervention, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Questionnaire (PSQQ) was completed for patients in both groups. In the intervention group, progressive muscle relaxation was performed for 4 weeks (twice daily and 20 min each time). In the control group, patients only received routine care. After the intervention, the PSQQ was completed again for patients in both groups. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 23. RESULTS: The mean and standard deviation of age were 45.95 ± 10.26 years. The samples of the intervention and control groups were homogeneous in terms of demographic characteristics. The results showed a significant improvement in the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index in the intervention group before and after the intervention (P < .001, Z = 5.09). However, this rate was not different in the control group. The sleep level of the intervention and control groups was not different at the beginning of the study. However, at the end of the study, the sleep score in the intervention group had decreased significantly (P < .001, Z = 3.52). CONCLUSION: The results of the present study showed that progressive muscle relaxation improves the sleep quality of patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Therefore, relaxation can be considered a useful and effective intervention for improving sleep quality of patients with cancer.