Clinical study on acupoint massage in improving cognitive function and sleep quality of elderly patients with hypertension / 针灸推拿医学（英文版）

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the effects of acupoint massage on cognitive function and sleep quality in elderly patients with hypertension. Methods:A total of 68 elderly patients with hypertension were enrolled, and their ages were all over 60 years old. They were divided into a control group and a treatment group by simple random method, with 34 cases in each group. Patients in the control group were treated by routine psychological health guidance and sleep knowledge education, while patients in the treatment group were treated by acupoint massage on the base of the interventions given to the control group. Both of their treatment courses were 3 months. Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) scores and mini-mental state examination (MMSE) scores before and after treatment were recorded and compared. Results:Two groups’ PSQI scores before treatment had no significant difference (P>0.05). After 3 months of treatment, their PSQI scores were statistically different (P0.05), but there was a significant difference after treatment (P<0.05). Conclusion:Acupoint massage for elderly patients with primary hypertension can improve their sleep quality and enhance their cognitive function, thus it is worthy of being applied in clinical nursing work.