Summary of sleep hygiene and relaxation strategies in cancer care.
Domain
Details
Primary benefits
• Improved sleep onset, duration, and quality• Reduced nighttime awakenings and arousals• Decreased fatigue and anxiety• Enhanced cognitive functioning and emotional regulation
Mechanisms of action
• Parasympathetic activation (e.g., PMR, breathwork)• Reduction of cortisol and sympathetic arousal• Cognitive restructuring of maladaptive beliefs (CBT-I)• Behavioral sleep pattern correction
Delivery formats
• Verbal instruction (nursing, psycho-oncology)• Audio-guided PMR or breathing sessions• Digital CBT-I platforms (e.g., Sleepio, CBT-I Coach)• Printed or digital sleep hygiene handouts
Settings for use
• Hospital wards, oncology clinics• Home-based or palliative care environments• Suitable for both patients and caregivers
Practical advantages
• Low-cost and non-invasive• Easily integrated into routine care• Beneficial for a wide range of ages and cancer types
Safety considerations
• Generally very safe• CBT-I may require supervision for patients with psychiatric comorbidities• Caution with sleep restriction in severely fatigued or advanced disease states
When delivered consistently and supported by healthcare teams, sleep-focused interventions significantly enhance patients’ physical and psychological resilience across the cancer care continuum. CBT-I: cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia; PMR: progressive muscle relaxation.
Declarations
Author contributions
SDG: Conceptualization, Investigation, Writing—original draft, Writing—review & editing, Validation, Supervision. The author has read and approved the submitted version.
Conflicts of interest
The author declares that there are no conflicts of interest.
Open Exploration maintains a neutral stance on jurisdictional claims in published institutional affiliations and maps. All opinions expressed in this article are the personal views of the author(s) and do not represent the stance of the editorial team or the publisher.
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