Evaluating the Effectiveness of Chinese Herbal Footbath on Sleep Quality among Postpartum Women in Advanced Maternal Age

Abstract

This study evaluated the effectiveness of Chinese herbal foot bath therapy in improving sleep quality among postpartum women of advanced maternal age. A quasi-experimental design was used, involving 60 participants with sleep disturbances recruited from Zouping County Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital. Participants were divided into control and experimental groups, and sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) before and after the intervention. The experimental group received Chinese herbal foot bath therapy, while the control group did not. Post-intervention results showed a significant improvement in sleep quality for the experimental group, with a mean PSQI score of 7.79 (SD = 2.90), compared to 13.45 (SD = 2.57) in the control group, indicating continued poor sleep. Statistical analysis confirmed that the therapy led to significant improvements across overall and component PSQI scores. The study concludes that Chinese herbal foot bath therapy is a safe, non-invasive, and cost-effective method to enhance sleep quality among postpartum women, especially those of advanced maternal age. It holds promise as a complementary treatment option and could be integrated into standard postpartum care practices to address sleep disturbances without relying on pharmacological interventions.