Effect of an Alternate Nostril Breathing Exercise On Fatigue and Quality of Sleep Pattern Among Pregnant Women in Third Trimester

Background: Pregnancy-related problems encompass fatigue and sleep disturbances, whichhave adverse effects on quality of life as well as the growth and development of the fetus.Alternate nostril breathing (ANB) exercise derived from the discipline of yoga, is widelyregarded as one of the most effective and straightforward methods for promoting overall wellbeing and physical vitality. This study aimed to determine the effect of an ANB exercise onfatigue and quality of sleep pattern among pregnant women in the third trimester. Researchdesign: A quasi-experimental design was employed at Kafr El-Sheikh General Hospital, KafrEl-Sheikh Governorate, Egypt. Subjects: A convenient sample of 90 pregnant women wasrecruited based on certain criteria. Data was gathered using three tools namely, Basic datastructured interview schedule, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Iowa Fatigue Scale(IFS). Results: There was improve of the sleep quality among participants after interventionwhere, the mean score of sleep quality in the study group was (8.6±2.5) compared to(15.22±2.62) in the control group. A significant decline in fatigue level among participantsafter intervention was observed where, the mean score of fatigue was (36.73±4.47) in thecontrol group compared to (30.9±3.3) in the study group, (p<0.000). Conclusion: Thefindings concluded that ANB exercises improved sleep quality and decreased fatigue after 4weeks of regular practice among pregnant woman in the third trimester. Recommendations:Integrating ANB exercise as a safe and non- pharmacological intervention for pregnantwomen that can improve sleep pattern and enhance level of fatigue, and included as part ofantenatal care.