Effects of warm water footbath on sleep quality and fatigue in patients with heart failure: a randomized controlled study

Introduction: Poor sleep quality and fatigue are common and clinically important problems in patients with heart failure (HF). Warm water footbaths are a form of local heat therapy that can induce comfort, relieve fatigue, and improve insomnia through heat conduction. This study aimed to explore the effects of a warm-water footbath (WWFB) on sleep quality and fatigue in patients with HF. Methods: = 43), and 74 completed follow-up. The WWFB group received a 42 °C warm-water footbath for 20 min each night for four weeks in addition to actigraphy monitoring, whereas the control group underwent actigraphy monitoring alone. Objective sleep parameters were recorded during the 4-week intervention, and subjective sleep quality and fatigue were assessed at baseline, week 4, and week 8. Results: Compared with the control group, the WWFB group showed greater improvement in subjective sleep quality and fatigue over time. For objective sleep outcomes, sleep efficiency improved on several study days, and sleep latency was shorter on day 2, whereas total sleep time did not differ significantly between groups. Conclusions: WWFB is a non-invasive and simple intervention that was associated with improved subjective sleep quality and reduced fatigue in this study. These findings support WWFB as a potential adjunct to home or clinical care for patients with HF. Clinical Trial Registration: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06287996, ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT06287996.