Effect of the 4-7-8 Breathing Technique on Pain Level and Sleep Quality of Patients After Laparoscopic Bariatric Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Study

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the 4-7-8 breathing exercise on pain and sleep quality of patients after laparoscopic bariatric surgery. Methods: A randomized controlled study was performed. Forty participants each were assigned to two groups: experimental and control groups. While routine care was applied to the control group, the experimental group was given 4-7-8 breathing training. A Patient Information Form, Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and Richards–Campbell Sleep Questionnaire (RCSQ) were used for data collection. Results: The mean VAS and RCSQ total scores of the experimental group were 4.62 ± 0.92 and 80.62 ± 7.72, respectively. The mean VAS and RCSQ total scores of the control group were 7.10 ± 0.77 and 67.02 ± 12.6, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between the mean VAS and RCSQ scores of the experimental and control groups. There was a statistically significant positive linear relationship between the mean VAS score and age in the experimental group (r = 0.352). Furthermore, there was a statistically significant negative linear relationship between the mean age and RCSQ and mean VAS scores in the experimental group. Conclusions: The 4-7-8 breathing exercise significantly affected the patient's pain and sleep quality by reducing pain and improving sleep quality after laparoscopic bariatric surgery.