Effect of Benson and progressive muscle relaxation techniques on sleep quality after coronary artery bypass graft: A randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the effect of Benson relaxation (BR) and progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) techniques on the sleep quality of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. METHOD: This study was a three-arm, parallel, randomized controlled trial. 120 patients who underwent CABG surgery at two academic hospitals in an urban area of Iran were randomly allocated into three groups (40 per group): the BR, PMR, and control groups. Patients in the BR and the PMR groups performed relevant exercises twice a day for four weeks. Sleep quality was measured before and immediately after the intervention using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. RESULTS: Within-group comparison in the BR (t = 3.51, p = 0.001) and the PMR (t = 4.58, p 0.05). CONCLUSION: The study showed that a four-week program of both PMR and BR can be effective in the overall improvement of sleep quality in patients following CABG. Further research is required to replicate the findings of the present study.