Introduction:

Insomnia is the much common sleep disorder in hemodialysis patients, which will cause a decrease in quality of life. Aromatherapy combined with progressive muscle relaxation are expected to increase the effects of relaxation on the patient so that the patient's sleep quality can improve optimally.

Objective:

The study aimed to investigate the effect of the progressive muscle relaxation combined with lavender aromatherapy on insomnia among patients undergoing hemodialysis.

Material and Methods:

The design of this study included a quasi-experiment with a pretest-posttest control group approach. The sample selection was performed using a consecutive sampling technique and involved 50 respondents, divided into two equal control and study group. Patients in study group recommended to do progressive muscle relaxation at least four times per week for three weeks and were told to drop two - three drops lavender aromatherapy on a pillow 30 minutes before bedtime at least 4 nights per week for three weeks. The control group recommended to do muscle relaxation and daily routine care at least four times per week for three weeks.

Results:

The results showed that both study and control groups were equal in terms of demographics, and scores of insomnia at the baseline. There no significant difference between the mean insomnia scores of two group before intervention, while the difference was statistically significant after the intervention. The mean insomnia scores were lower in study group than in the control group.

Conclusion:

Progressive muscle relaxation and lavender aromatherapy were effective in decreasing insomnia scores among patients undergoing hemodialysis.