Effect of herbal medicine named hypericum perforatum on sleep quality of hemodialysis patients with restless legs syndrome

Background: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is one of the most common problems of hemodialysis patients affecting their sleep quality. Therefore, it is important for these patients to develop several coping strategies. Given the fact that herbal medicine has been used from ancient times due to their effectiveness and low adverse effects, this study aimed to determine the effect of Hypiran herbal medicine on the sleep quality of hemodialysis patients with RLS.

Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on the hemodialysis patients with RLS referred to three selected hospitals of Tehran, Iran, in 2016. A total of 180 patients were selected through convenience sampling method and randomly assigned into two groups of control and intervention. The subjects in the intervention group were treated by drop of Hypiran three times a day (30 drops each time) for four months. On the other hand, the patients in the control group received placebo. Data was collected using demographic data form, RLS assessment questionnaire, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Data analysis was performed by applying descriptive statistics, as well as Chi-squared and independent and paired t-tests in SPSS software, version 18.

Results: At the post-intervention phase, the mean score of the sleep quality of the subjects in the intervention group changed from 17.51±0.21 to 10.55±0.59 (P<0.001). According to the results of independent samples t-test, there was a significant difference between the groups in sleep quality (P<0.001).

Conclusion: Given the results, the sleep quality of the hemodialysis patients with RLS improved by using Hypiran oral drops. Therefore, it is recommended to use this herbal medicine to improve sleep quality in these patients.