The Effects of Foot Massage and Abdominal Breathing for the Patients with Insomnia and Accessory Symptoms

The aim of the present study was to clarify the effects of intervention by foot massage and abdominal breathing on insomnia and accessory symptoms. Eleven outpatients with insomnia and accessory symptoms, the subjects of the present study, were massaged on the foot for 15 minutes in the supine position on a bed. They were instructed to breathe abdominally for the first 5 minutes during the massage. Those massages were conducted three times. at intervals of one week. Throughout the study period, I asked the patients to breathe abdominally before going to bed. The difficulty in falling asleep and in getting sound sleep among the patients was reduced in all and 8 subjects, respectively. Headaches, tenseness, and inactivity among the patients with accessory symptoms were alleviated in 7, 7 and all subjects, respectively. The results of the present study suggested the effectiveness of the intervention by foot massage and abdominal breathing for patients with insomnia and accessory symptoms.