The effect of massage and white noise application applied to premature babies on SLEEP

Aim: This study was conducted to examine the effects of massage and white noise applied to premature babies on sleep. Material and Method: The study was conducted in a randomized controlled experimental design with three groups. The population of the study consists of premature babies at 28-37 gestational weeks who were hospitalized in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit of Şanlıurfa Mehmet Akif Inan Training and Research Hospital Haliliye Annex Building. The sample of the study was 120 premature babies in Massage group (40), white noise group (40) and control group (40). The research was conducted between March-October 2021. In data collection, newborn and parent follow-up form, actigraphy clock, white noise, mp 3 player, sound decibel measuring device were used. Results: While the sleep duration and sleep efficiency of the premature babies in the massage group increased compared to before the application, the number of awakenings and WASO values decreased. While the sleep duration increased by about two hours in the white noise group compared to the pre-treatment group, there was an increase in sleep efficiency. There was a statistically significant decrease in the number of awakenings and WASO values. Conclusion: The experimental study, designed with three groups, found that massage and white noise in premature infants is an important non-pharmacological method for improving sleep efficiency with sleep time. Keywords: Preterm baby, sleep, massage, white noise