The effect of melatonin on sleep quality and cognitive function of individuals undergoing hemodialysis

Salehi Hikooei Marzieh; Hedayat Jafari; Seyed Afshin Shorofi; Javad Setareh; Mahmood Moosazadeh; Fatemeh Espahbodi; Majid Saeedi; Paul Arbon; Pooyan Ghorbani Vajargah; Samad Karkhah

doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2023.09.011

The effect of melatonin on sleep quality and cognitive function of individuals undergoing hemodialysis

Sleep Med. 2023 Nov:111:105-110. doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2023.09.011. Epub 2023 Sep 15.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Critical Care Nursing, Student Research Committee, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran. Electronic address: marziesalehi12@gmail.com.
² Medical-Surgical Nursing Department, Traditional and Complementary Medicine Research Center, Addiction Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
³ Medical-Surgical Nursing Department, Traditional and Complementary Medicine Research Center, Addiction Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran; Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.
⁴ Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Research Center, Addiction Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
⁵ Gastrointestinal Cancer Research Center, Non-communicable Diseases Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
⁶ Internal Medicine Department, School of Medicine, Diabetes Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
⁷ School of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Hemoglobinopathy Institute, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
⁸ Torrens Resilience Institute, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.
⁹ Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran; Burn and Regenerative Medicine Research Center, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.

PMID: 37757507
DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2023.09.011

Abstract

Background: and purpose: This study aimed to investigate the effect of melatonin on sleep quality and cognitive function of individuals undergoing hemodialysis.

Materials and methods: In this randomized controlled clinical trial, 102 eligible individuals were assigned to two equal intervention and control groups. The intervention group received melatonin 3 mg tablets half an hour before going to bed for six weeks, while the control group was given a placebo with similar conditions.

Results: This study had 102 participants who were divided into intervention and control groups. The mean age of the participants was 58.30 (SD = 12.10). Among the participants, 54.90% were female. Moreover, 33.33% of the individuals received dialysis for four years or longer. After the intervention, the mean and standard deviation of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was 12.66 (SD = 3.09) in the intervention group and 18.86 (SD = 3.8) in the control group (P < 0.001). Moreover, the mean sleep quality index in the intervention group showed a statistically significant difference before and after the intervention (P < 0.001); the PSQI score declined from 20.21 to 12.66. Likewise, there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups after intervention in the mean Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) index (P = 0.002); it was 24.27 (SD = 3.42) in the intervention group and 22.15 (SD = 2.3) in the control group. The mean MoCA score in the intervention group showed a significant difference before and after the intervention (P < 0.001), increasing from 21.19 to 24.27.

Conclusion: According to the study's findings, melatonin can improve individuals undergoing hemodialysis' cognitive function and sleep quality.

Keywords: Cognitive status; Hemodialysis; Melatonin; Pittsburgh; Sleep quality.