JOURNAL ARTICLE

The Effect of Massage and Foot Reflexology on Sleep in Newborns.

  • Published In: Biological Research for Nursing, 2025, v. 27, n. 3. P. 504 1 of 3

  • Database: Academic Search Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Belpınar, Ayşe; Yayan, Emriye Hilal; Özdemir, Ahmet 3 of 3

Abstract

This randomized controlled trial investigated the effects of massage and foot reflexology on sleep parameters in premature infants born at 30–37 weeks of gestation and admitted to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Central Anatolia, Türkiye. The study included 108 infants divided equally into massage, foot reflexology, and control groups, with interventions administered twice daily over two days and sleep measured objectively using actigraphy. Results showed that both massage and foot reflexology significantly increased total sleep duration and sleep efficiency while reducing the number of awakenings and wakefulness duration compared to routine care. These findings suggest that massage and foot reflexology are effective non-pharmacological methods to improve sleep quality in preterm infants, supporting their potential integration into NICU nursing care practices.

Additional Information

  • Source:Biological Research for Nursing. 2025/07, Vol. 27, Issue 3, p504
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Complementary and Alternative Medicine
  • Publication Date:2025
  • ISSN:1099-8004
  • DOI:10.1177/10998004251332911
  • Accession Number:185787658
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of Biological Research for Nursing is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Looking to go deeper into this topic? Look for more articles on EBSCOhost.