Acupressure ups sleep quality in nursing home residents

(HealthDay)—For nursing home (NH) residents, acupressure on specific acupoints is associated with improved sleep quality and well-being, according to a study published online Feb. 2 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Fu-Chih Lai, R.N., Ph.D., from Taipei Medical University in Taiwan, and colleagues conducted a randomized controlled trial involving 62 older NH residents. Participants were randomly allocated to either an experimental group, which received acupressure on the Tian-Zhu, Ju-Que, Yong-Quan, Bai-Hui, and Nei-Guan acupoints three times a week for eight weeks, for 24 minutes each time, or to a control group, which received a massage at locations with no acupoints at the same frequency as the experimental group.

The researchers found that the experimental group had significantly better scores on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Short-Form 36 (SF-36) (both P < 0.001) than the control group during the intervention period. After adjustment for confounding variables, the improvements in the PSQI and SF-36 scores were still significant (P < 0.001).

"Acupressure is a promising intervention that may improve well-being for NH residents with sleep disturbances," the authors write.