The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction on Sleep Quality in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract

Background: Poor sleep quality (SQ) is a common problem in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), which may reduce the quality of life and mood state and cause neuropsychological issues. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on the SQ in women who suffer from MS. Materials & Methods: From the patients with MS diagnosed by neurologists, 48 were selected by convenient sampling and randomly assigned to MBSR and control groups. The participants of two groups filled out the Pittsburgh sleep quality questionnaire as a pre-test, 8 weeks later as a post-test, and 1 month later as a follow-up. The MBSR group received 8 sessions of group therapy, while the control group did not receive any psychotherapy. The data were analyzed using variance analysis. Results: The results showed that the SQ of the MBSR group improved in all aspects significantly (P<0.01). Conclusion: Mindfulness-based stress reduction is helpful for improving the SQ in patients with MS.

Keywords

• multiple sclerosis (ms)
• mindfulness
• sleep