Hand self-shiatsu to promote sleep among Veterans and their family members: A non-randomized, multiple-methods study

LAY SUMMARY This study tested a no-cost, drug-free technique to promote sleep for Veterans and their family members. The technique, hand self-shiatsu (HSS), had promising outcomes in other studies with chronic pain patients and young athletes after concussion. HSS is easy to learn, takes only 10–15 minutes to perform before bed, requires no equipment, and is best done once in bed for the night. The sleep and daytime fatigue of 30 people who were taught HSS and 20 who were not were compared across a two-month period. The two groups were similar in age and gender. The self-report measures showed that people who did HSS reported less daytime fatigue and less sleep disturbance than those who did not. Also, in interviews at the end of the study, participants were very favorable about how easy and potentially useful HSS was. They also commented on the benefit of feeling more in control of their sleep. Although the study has limitations, the findings are promising. A HSS educational video, handouts, and app are available for free at https://cbotlabs.wixsite.com/handselfshiatsu .