Although sleep hygiene education represents a promising approach for patients with poor sleep quality, little research has been devoted in understanding the sleep hygiene behavior and knowledge of working women. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of a short-term sleep hygiene education program on working women with poor sleep quality. This pilot study was a prospective and an exploratory intervention study. The intervention was tested on 37 selected working women with poor sleep quality in the community. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (score > 5) was used to identify working women with poor sleep quality. After a pretest to assess sleep quality, researchers implemented a 5-week sleep hygiene education program that addressed good sleep environments/habits, emotional stress, the influence of diet/alcohol/tobacco on sleep, exercise, and alternative therapies. Tests administered midway through the program and after program completion provided the data used to analyze effective sleep quality changes. Results showed sleep hygiene education to improve participant sleep quality significantly (p < .001). The sleep quality of all participants improved over both the 3- and the 5-week education program. The six components of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (i.e., subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, sleep disturbances, use of sleeping medication, and daytime dysfunction) also improved. A brief and effective sleep hygiene education program delivered by a nurse can improve sleep quality in working women with sleeping problems.

Introduction: Sleep quality is an important issue in nurses’ mental and general health. Long-term psychological distress leads to increased sleep disturbances among nurses. However, which forms of psychological distress are most associated with sleep disturbances is unclear among female nurses. Methodology: To determine which psychological distress factors are associated with sleep disturbances among female nurses. A total of 119 female Taiwanese nurses were recruited and surveyed using the Occupational Stress Indicator–2, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory–II, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Results: Overall, 68.9% of the nurses were poor sleepers, and 20.2% and 11.7% of them had more than moderate levels of anxiety and depression, respectively. A logistic regression analysis showed that sleep disturbances were associated with higher levels of depression and poorer general health. Discussion: Compared with anxiety, depression more heavily influences sleep disturbances among female nurses. Depression prevention should thus be a focus of mental health promotion for female nurses.

Background: Students in 2-year registered nurse to Bachelor of Science in nursing (RN-BSN) programs usually work full-time and study part-time. Sleep disturbance, anxiety, and depression are known to be common health problems among these students.Prior research has described the effectiveness of auricular acupressure (AA) in reducing sleep disturbance and improving mood. Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of using a 4-week AA program that adheres to a magnetic pellet on the shenmen acupoint on sleep quality, anxiousness, and depressed moods in nursing students with sleep disturbance. Methods: This study used a one-group, quasi-experimental design with repeated measures. Eligible students were recruited from an RN-BSN program offered by a university in northern Taiwan, and all were currently experiencing sleep disturbance. A 4-week AA intervention that applied a magnetic pellet on the shenmen acupoint was used. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Beck Anxiety Inventory, and Beck Depression Inventory-II were used to measure sleep quality and mood outcomes each week during the 4-week intervention. Improvements in sleep quality, anxiety, and depressed moods were analyzed using the generalized estimating equation. Results: Thirty-six participants with a mean age of 32 years were enrolled as participants. After adjusting for confounding factors, continuous and significant improvements in sleep quality, anxiety, and depressed mood (p < .05) were observed throughout the intervention, with 4-week improvements in sleep quality, anxiety, and depressed mood averaging 26.7%, 43.5%, and 25%, respectively. Conclusions/Implications for Practice: This study showed the efficacy of using a 4-week AA that applies a magnetic pellet on the shenmen acupoint in terms of improving sleep quality, anxiousness, and depressed mood in RN-BSN students experiencing sleep disturbances. Especially, the emotional mood of participants improved significantly as early as the first week. The 4-week AA for reducing sleep disturbance, and improving students’ anxiety, and depressed moods may be applied on primary healthcare.