Can the Prenatal Gentle Yoga and Dhikr Combination Improve the Pregnant Women's Sleep Quality?

Poor sleep quality is a common complaint among pregnant women, yet it is often underestimated as a factor that may contribute to the morbidity of both the mother and the fetus. Non-pharmacological interventions to improve sleep quality in pregnant women could serve as a therapeutic option with minimal side effects. Unfortunately, research on non-pharmacological interventions combining prenatal gentle yoga with dhikr is still rare. This study aims to investigate the effect of the prenatal gentle yoga and dhikr combination on the pregnant women’s sleep quality. This is a quasi-experimental study with pre-and post-design. The study was conducted at the Bajeng Health Center, Gowa Regency, from April to May 2022. The sample was selected using purposive sampling, resulting in 15 samples. Pregnant women were given the prenatal gentle yoga and dhikr combination intervention three times within one month, with a duration of 10-15 minutes per session. Sleep quality was measured before and after the intervention using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Univariate analysis and bivariate analysis were conducted using descriptive analysis and the Wilcoxon test, respectively. The results showed that there was an effect of the prenatal gentle yoga and dhikr combination on the pregnant women’s sleep quality (p-value 0.00). This intervention was effective in improving the pregnant women’s sleep quality. The findings of this study highlight the need for healthcare providers to recommend this minimal side-effect intervention as a complementary therapy. Further research with a bigger sample size is needed to explore the broader benefits of this combined intervention.