Effect of Abdominal Breathing Exercise on Sleep Quality among Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Background: Sleep disturbances are frequently reported among people receiving maintenance haemodialysis and may adversely affect daily functioning and quality of life. Abdominal breathing is a simple relaxation technique that may be used as a supportive intervention. Aim: To assess the effectiveness of abdominal breathing exercises in improving sleep quality among patients undergoing haemodialysis at the Dialysis Unit, PES Hospital, Kuppam. Methods: A quantitative, quasi-experimental, one-group pre-test–post-test design was used. Sixty haemodialysis patients were selected by purposive sampling. Data were collected using a demographic and baseline information form and the Groningen Sleep Quality Scale. Participants received abdominal breathing exercise instruction, and sleep quality was reassessed after seven days. The source document describes the intervention frequency inconsistently; the exact administered dose requires confirmation. Results: The sample included 60 participants, of whom 39 (65.0%) were male and 21 (35.0%) were female. The reported sleep-category distribution changed from 2 (3.33%) good, 21 (35.00%) mild and 37 (61.67%) severe at pre-test to 0 (0.00%), 8 (13.33%) and 52 (86.67%), respectively, at post-test. The reported mean score increased from 7.98 (SD 3.03) to 10.48 (SD 2.56). The source reports a t-value of 1.00 and p-value of 0.00; these statistics require verification against the original dataset and scoring direction before interpretation. Conclusion: The supplied results do not demonstrate a clear improvement in sleep quality: the proportion classified as having severe sleep disturbance increased, as did the mean score. The scoring direction and statistical analysis must be checked before any conclusion about intervention effectiveness is made.