Effectiveness of Sleep Hygiene Programs on Sleep Quality of Patients With Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Sleep problems are common among patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Accordingly, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of sleep hygiene programs on emotional indices in patients with mild TBI. Methods: Overall, 60 patients with TBI were selected and randomly divided into two intervention (n=30) and control (n=30) groups. Patients in the intervention group participated in face-to-face sleep hygiene programs, consisting of three individual 45-minute sessions. Then, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) were used to assess the patients’ sleep quality, depression, anxiety, and stress at baseline and one and three months after the intervention in each group. Results: Based on the results, PSQI and DASS scores significantly decreased during the trial in the intervention group one and three months after the intervention (P<0.001), while the corresponding scores did not change in the control group. Eventually, the time and group effect of the intervention were statistically significant in the DASS. Conclusion: In general, sleep hygiene programs can improve the sleep quality of patients with TBI while reducing emotional indicators, such as depression, anxiety, and stress, in patients with mild TBI. Trial Registration: IRCT2014041917334N1