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The effects of massage therapy and white noise application on premature infants' sleep
Mehmet Emin Düken1, Emriye Hilal Yayan2
1Health Sciences of Faculty, Department of Child Health and Diseases Nursing, Harran University, Şanlıurfa 63000, Turkey.
Insights
Massage and white noise significantly improve sleep in premature infants. These non-pharmacological methods increase sleep duration and efficiency while reducing awakenings, supporting infant development.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Care
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Sleep Medicine
Background:
- Sleep is crucial for premature infants' physical, social, emotional, and neurological development.
- Optimizing sleep in preterm infants is increasingly recognized for its impact on growth and behavior.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of massage therapy and white noise on sleep parameters in premature infants.
- To identify non-pharmacological interventions to enhance sleep duration, efficiency, and function in preterm neonates.
Main Methods:
- Randomized controlled trial with 120 premature infants (28-37 weeks gestation).
- Three groups: massage therapy (40), white noise (40), and control (40).
- Interventions applied in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit setting.
Main Results:
- Massage therapy significantly increased sleep duration by approximately 5 hours and improved sleep efficiency.
- White noise therapy increased sleep duration by about 2 hours and enhanced sleep efficiency.
- Both interventions led to a significant reduction in the number of awakenings and Wake After Sleep Onset (WASO) in premature infants.
Conclusions:
- Massage and white noise are effective non-pharmacological methods for improving sleep in premature infants.
- These interventions positively impact sleep duration, efficiency, and function in infants born preterm.
- Massage therapy and white noise represent valuable strategies for supporting the sleep needs of early-born infants.
Aim:
Sleep is vital to premature infants' physical, social and emotional development. The significance of sleep duration, efficiency, and function in premature infants regarding growth development, behavior and neurological development has been increasing.
Materials And Methods:
This study was conducted in a randomized controlled experimental design with three groups. Premature infants at 28-37 weeks of gestation who were admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Şanlıurfa Mehmet Akif İnan Training and Research Hospital Haliliye Annex Building were the research population. The sample of the present study consisted of 120 premature infants in the massage therapy group (40), white noise group (40), and control group (40).
Results:
The sleep duration and sleep efficiency of the premature infants in the massage group increased compared to before the application, whereas the number of awakenings and WASO values decreased. The sleep duration of premature infants in the massaged group increased by some five hours. In the white noise group, the sleep duration increased by about two hours than the pre-treatment, and there was an increase in sleep efficiency. White noise application provided a significant decrease in the number of awakenings and WASO values in premature infants.
Conclusion:
In this experimental study, which was designed with three groups, it was revealed that massage and white noise application in premature infants were significant non-pharmacological methods to increase sleep duration and sleep efficiency. It was concluded that massage therapy and white noise application is one of the considerable interventions regarding sleep duration, efficiency and functions in premature infants who left the intrauterine period early.
