The Effects of a Sleep Hygiene Education Program Combined with Thai Style Qigong Exercise on Insomnia among Older Adults after Knee Arthroplasty

Abstract

            This quasi-experimental research aimed to examine the effects of a sleep hygiene education program combined with Thai style qigong exercise on insomnia among older adults after knee arthroplasty. The sample consisted of 40 elderly people over the age of 60 who were treated in an orthopedic examination room, outpatient department, Lerdsin hospital from 1 and less than 3 months following knee arthroplasty. They were selected by purposive sampling. The subjects were equally divided into a control group and an experimental group. They were matched in terms of age, sex and insomnia level. The control group received conventional nursing care while the experimental group received the sleep hygiene education program combined with Thai style qigong exercise. The instrument used to collect data was the Insomnia Severity Index. The statistical techniques used in data analysis were percentage, mean, and t-test.
            The results revealed that after participating the program, the experimental group had significantly lower insomnia than before joining the program (p < .05). The experimental group had significantly lower insomnia than that in the control group (p < .05). The results of this research supported that a sleep hygiene education program combined with Thai style qigong exercise can effectively reduce insomnia in elderly patients after knee replacement.