Key result
Benson relaxation plus deep breathing improves post-cardiac surgery sleep quality ~26% vs breathing alone.
Why the study?
Patients recovering from cardiac surgery often experience pain, anxiety, and sleep disturbances, and non-pharmacological methods to improve sleep quality need evaluation.
Does the Benson Relaxation Technique combined with slow deep breathing improve sleep quality in post-cardiac surgery patients?
Does the Benson Relaxation Technique combined with slow deep breathing improve sleep quality in post-cardiac surgery patients?
Mean Difference: 0.96 (95% CI 0.162–1.758)
Absolute Event Rate: 2.8% vs 3.76%
p-value: p=0.002
The Benson Relaxation Technique combined with slow deep breathing significantly improves sleep quality, pain, fatigue, and anxiety in patients recovering from cardiac surgery.
May support adjunctive Benson relaxation for post-cardiac surgery sleep; hypothesis-generating and requires RCTs before practice change.
Introduction: Patients recovering from cardiac surgery often experience pain, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. The Benson Relaxation Technique, a muscle relaxation method that influences the hypothalamus and reduces sympathetic and parasympathetic activity, has shown positive effects on respiratory function, heart rate, and cardiac workload, ultimately promoting better sleep quality.The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the Benson Relaxation Technique combined with slow deep breathing exercises in improving sleep quality among patients following cardiac surgery.Methods: This quasi-experimental study involved 50 post-cardiac surgery patients, divided into two groups: 25 in the intervention group and 25 in the control group. The intervention group practiced the Benson Relaxation Technique combined with slow deep breathing exercises, performed three times. Sleep quality was assessed using the GSQS (Groningen Sleep Quality Scale) questionnaire. Data were analyzed using an independent t-test with SPSS software.Results: Statistical analysis showed a significant improvement in sleep quality in the intervention group, with a p-value of 0.001. The independent t-test yielded a p-value of 0.002 and a mean difference of 0.960 between the intervention and control groups, indicating a meaningful effect of the relaxation technique on sleep quality.Conclusion: The Benson Relaxation Technique combined with slow deep breathing is effective in improving sleep quality among post-cardiac surgery patients. This non-pharmacological intervention can be recommended as a supportive therapy during recovery to enhance patient well-being and accelerate healing.
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Khusniyati et al. (2025) studied Post-cardiac surgery (n=50). Benson Relaxation Technique combined with slow deep breathing vs. Slow deep breathing (three repetitions) was evaluated on Sleep quality assessed using the Groningen Sleep Quality Scale (GSQS) (MD 0.960, 95% CI 0.162-1.758, p=0.002). The Benson Relaxation Technique combined with slow deep breathing significantly improved sleep quality in post-cardiac surgery patients compared to deep breathing alone (mean difference 0.960, p=0.002).
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