Effect of Massage and Foot Reflexology on Newborns' Sleep

Sleep is very important for human life and developmentally involves both physiological and mental processes. Sleep is considered not only as a state of rest, but also as a state of intense brain development in which neurotransmitters specific to each sleep stage affect brain maturation . Newborns sleep an average of 16-20 hours a day, spending most of their sleep in the REM (Rapid Eye Movement Phase) sleep period. For this reason, sleep quality in the neonatal period directly affects healthy growth and development. Newborns, who leave the warm, dark, quiet, calm, amniotic fluid-filled mother's womb at birth, undergo biochemical and physiological changes involving all their systems in the first days of their lives and may experience difficulties in adapting to extrauterine life due to various reasons .

Babies who leave the intrauterine period early are admitted to technologically equipped neonatal intensive care units. In the neonatal intensive care unit, they are exposed to many stressful stimuli and environmental factors. Premature babies are exposed to painful invasive procedures in the neonatal intensive care unit, negative environmental conditions such as frequent feeding, exposure to high-frequency sounds and constant light negatively affect their sleep-wake cycles.

There are studies in the literature to determine the sleep and wakefulness status of premature babies and the factors affecting them. There are studies examining massage, position and music practices applied to preterm babies. It was observed that the number of babies sleeping was higher in the measurements made after massage therapy in premature babies who received massage and premature babies who did not. Additionally, in his systematic review of massage practice; It has been revealed that it increases mother-baby interaction and positively affects sleep conditions by reducing stress levels and crying .

Today, the use of complementary and alternative medicine treatments is increasing in healthcare systems all over the world. Nurses can use these ways, along with regular treatments, to improve health. In this context, foot reflexology, one of the six most commonly used treatments in complementary medicine, is effective not only in the treatment of diseases but also in protecting health. Reflexology is defined as the science that stimulates the ends of sensory nerves connected to receptors and points related to the internal organs of the body using different degrees of pressure, such as massage and touch. By applying the compression technique to the reflection point of each organ using reflexology, the blockage in the energy flow path is removed and as a result, the energy flows in the movement channels. It has been stated that foot reflexology can improve the physiological index and reduce O2 saturation, heart rate, and inspire relaxation in newborns . There are studies examining the effects of invasive procedures on pain, comfort and physiological parameters .

Developing individualized supportive interventions that ensure deep sleep and wakefulness is important for the quality of care provided to preterm infants. For this reason, it is important to reduce the negativities caused by neonatal intensive care units, improve care, reduce pain caused by invasive procedures and the environment, and ensure the sleep quality and order of premature babies.