Investigating the effect of balance exercises on the sleep quality of patients with heart failure

Background & Aim: Sleep disorders are a common complication among individuals with heart failure, which can limit their ability to engage in vigorous physical activities.Therefore, this study aims to investigate the impact of balance exercises on the sleep quality of patients diagnosed with heart failure.Methods: A clinical trial was conducted on 54 patients with heart failure at Heshmatieh Sabzevar Hospital.The patients were divided in two groups using permutation blocks of random allocation: 27 in the intervention group and 27 in the control group.The intervention group received educational on sports.After 8 weeks, the sleep of both groups was measured and the data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney, Chi-square, and Fisher's exact tests, as well as evaluation measures.Results: Prior to the intervention, there was no statistically significant difference in sleep quality scores between the two groups.However, after the intervention, a significant difference in sleep quality scores (P < 0.001) was observed between the intervention and control groups.Despite this, there were no found significant differences between the groups in terms of sleep adequacy, duration of restful sleep, and use of sleep medication.Conclusion: Balance exercises have been shown to improve various dimensions of sleep quality in heart failure patients, including overall sleep quality, sleep onset latency, sleep disturbances, and daytime performance.