A Study to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Acupressure on Quality of Sleep among the Elderly in Selected Old Age Home at Mangalore, Karnataka

Abstract

Background: A large percentage of elderly people suffer from chronic insomnia, affecting many aspects of life in the elderly. Surveys show that more than 50% of old age people experience sleep disturbance. This condition is underrecognized, underdiagnosed, and undertreated in the general population. These facts give strong drive to think about an alternate way to treat this kind of conditions. It is assumed that the acupressure is an alternative therapy which will aid in promoting good quality of sleep.

Materials and Methods: A quasi-experimental study design was used. The sample comprised 40 elderly with poor quality of sleep which was assessed using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Non-probability purposive sampling technique was used. The investigator taught acupressure to the experimental group and it was practiced once daily for 15 days. Post-test was conducted, data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results: The mean post-test score (4.2 ± 0.4) was less than that of mean pre-test score (8.15 ± 1.27) in the experimental group, whereas in the control group, the mean post-test score (8.3 + 1.67) was almost similar to the mean pre-test scores (8.4 + 1.32). The findings revealed that the calculated t-value (15.41) was greater than the table value (t 19 = 2.09) at 0.05 level of significance. Unpaired t-test was used to analyze the difference in post-test scores of the experimental and control groups. The findings revealed that the calculated “t”-value (10.58) was greater than the table value (t 38 = 2.02) at 0.05 level of significance.

Conclusion: The researcher concludes that there was a significant improvement in quality of sleep after the acupressure therapy.