Effect of self-care interventions on sleep quality in post-coronary artery bypass grafting patients: A single-center, randomized-controlled study

Background: This study aims to evaluate the effect of self-care interventions based on sleep hygiene practices, nutrition, and physical activity on sleep quality in post-coronary artery bypass grafting patients. Methods: This randomized-controlled study included a total of 146 patients (109 males, 37 females; mean age 55.31 years; range, 41 to 65 years) who underwent isolated coronary artery bypass grafting at Seyyed Al-Shohada Hospital of Urmia Medical Sciences University, between September 2017 and May 2018. The patients were divided into two groups as the self-care intervention group (n=73) and as the control group (n=73). The self-care intervention group received six educational courses on sleep hygiene, nutrition, and physical activity. Then they received individualized consulting weekly for three months. The control group was instructed to continue their normal life and routine care and received no education. The Demographic Information Form and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were used for data collection. Results: The mean Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores in the self-care intervention group decreased to 7.1 +/- 2.3 after the intervention, while it increased to 9.5 +/- 2.1 in the control group. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of the mean global Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores before the study (p=0.91); however, the scores were statistically significantly higher after the self-care intervention (p=0.001). Conclusion: Patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting may benefit from self-care interventions based on sleep hygiene, nutrition, and physical activity to improve the quality of sleep.