The Effect of Progressive Relaxation Exercises Applied to Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes on FATIQUE Level and Sleep Quality: A Randomised Controlled Study.
Bahar Vardar Inkaya, Ayşegül Koç, Birgül Genç and 3 others
PMID 41942344WHAT IT FOUND
People with type 2 diabetes who did progressive relaxation reported less fatigue and better sleep over four weeks, but those who received no exercises improved similarly, so the relaxation effect was not clear.
Key findings
01Sleep scores improved within both groups, but after adjusting for baseline sleep there was no significant difference between the relaxation and no-exercise groups.
02Fatigue scores improved within both groups, but neither the post-test nor the adjusted between-group comparison was significant.
03Fasting glucose, postprandial glucose and HbA1c also fell within both groups, so these changes cannot be credited to relaxation alone.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was small and single-site, and participants had to use insulin, so it may not apply to all people with type 2 diabetes. The relaxation group had worse baseline sleep and fatigue scores than the control group, and the groups also differed in marital status. Participants were not blinded, and the control group received no exercise programme, so improvement in both groups could reflect being observed or receiving clinic contact. Adherence was not objectively measured; patients sent messages about whether they exercised, and the authors suggest irregular practice may have affected sleep. The paper states three participants were excluded for not performing exercises regularly, but the tables still report 33 experimental and 30 control participants, making the analysed sample unclear. HbA1c was checked after one month, not at three months, so longer-term metabolic effects were not assessed.
Declared interests
The authors report no funding and declare no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that progressive relaxation beats usual diabetes care. Sleep and fatigue scores improved in the control group too, and the adjusted comparisons were not significant; the glucose changes also occurred without the exercise programme.