An interventional study of Ankle-Level Warm-Water Footbath and Below-Knee Warm-Water Footbath in Sleep Quality, sponsored by Cai-Syuan Jiang. Completed at 6 sites in Taiwan. Open to participants aged 65 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-23.
Sponsored by Cai-Syuan Jiang · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care
Sleep disturbances are common among older adults residing in long-term care facilities. Warm-water footbaths may help improve sleep quality; however, different immersion depths may affect the body's response to warming.
This study examined the effects of warm-water footbaths at different immersion depths on subjective and objective sleep quality among older adults living in long-term care facilities.
A total of 40 older adults aged 65 years or older from six long-term care facilities in southern Taiwan participated in a crossover study. The study compared three conditions: ankle-level footbaths, below-knee footbaths, and routine care without a footbath.
During the footbath interventions, participants immersed both feet in water at 42°C for 15 minutes approximately one hour before bedtime. Subjective sleep quality was assessed using the Verran and Snyder-Halpern Sleep Scale, and objective sleep quality was measured using wrist actigraphy.
1,930 studies on the registry are indexed under Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders; 612 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 40 is below the median of 72 across 1,689 interventional studies indexed under Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders.
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Twenty participants received ankle-level warm-water footbaths, followed by routine care without footbaths, and then below-knee warm-water footbaths. Each condition lasted two days.
Other: Ankle-Level Warm-Water Footbath · Other: Below-Knee Warm-Water Footbath
Twenty participants received below-knee warm-water footbaths, followed by routine care without footbaths, and then ankle-level warm-water footbaths. Each condition lasted two days.
Other: Ankle-Level Warm-Water Footbath · Other: Below-Knee Warm-Water Footbath
Participants immersed both feet in warm water at 42°C up to the ankle level for 15 minutes, approximately one hour before bedtime, on two consecutive days.
Participants immersed both feet and lower legs in warm water at 42°C up to below the knees for 15 minutes, approximately one hour before bedtime, on two consecutive days.
Subjective Sleep Quality Measured by the Verran and Snyder-Halpern Sleep Scale
Subjective sleep quality was assessed using the 15-item Verran and Snyder-Halpern Sleep Scale (VSH). Each item is scored from 0 to 100, with a total score ranging from 0 to 1,500. Higher total scores indicate better subjective sleep quality. The VSH was completed before 9:00 a.m. each morning to assess sleep quality during the previous night. For each study condition, the scores from two consecutive mornings were averaged and compared across the three conditions.
Time frame: Over seven consecutive days, from baseline to completion of the interventions, sleep quality was assessed before 9:00 a.m. each morning: once after the baseline night and twice after each two-night condition (ankle-level footbath, routine care, below-kne
Total Sleep Time (TST) Measured by Wrist Actigraphy
Total sleep time (TST) was measured using wrist actigraphy and expressed in minutes. It represents the total time spent asleep during the nighttime sleep period. The device was worn on the nondominant wrist overnight. During footbath conditions, it was fitted after footbath completion; during routine care, it was fitted one hour before bedtime. Devices were collected the following morning before 9:00 a.m. TST values from two consecutive nights under each condition were averaged for analysis.
Time frame: Over seven consecutive nights per participant, from baseline to completion of the interventions, total sleep time was assessed nightly: once at baseline and twice for each two-night condition (ankle-level footbath, routine care, below-knee footbath).
Sleep Latency (SL) Measured by Wrist Actigraphy
Sleep latency (SL) was measured using wrist actigraphy and expressed in minutes. It represents the time from bedtime to sleep onset. The device was worn overnight on the nondominant wrist. During footbath conditions, it was fitted after footbath completion; during routine care, it was fitted one hour before bedtime. Devices were collected the following morning before 9:00 a.m. SL values from two consecutive nights under each condition were averaged for analysis.
Time frame: Over seven consecutive nights per participant, from baseline to completion of the interventions, sleep latency was assessed nightly: once at baseline and twice for each two-night condition (ankle-level footbath, routine care, below-knee footbath).
Wake After Sleep Onset (WASO) Measured by Wrist Actigraphy
Wake after sleep onset (WASO) was measured using wrist actigraphy and expressed in minutes. It represents the total time spent awake after initially falling asleep during the nighttime sleep period. The device was worn overnight on the nondominant wrist. During footbath conditions, it was fitted after footbath completion; during routine care, it was fitted one hour before bedtime. Devices were collected the following morning before 9:00 a.m. WASO values from two consecutive nights under each condition were averaged for analysis.
Time frame: Over seven consecutive nights per participant, from baseline to completion of the interventions, wake after sleep onset was assessed nightly: once at baseline and twice for each two-night condition (ankle-level footbath, routine care, below-knee footbath
Sleep Efficiency (SE) Measured by Wrist Actigraphy
Sleep efficiency (SE) was measured using wrist actigraphy and expressed as a percentage. It was calculated as total sleep time divided by time in bed, multiplied by 100. Higher percentages indicate greater sleep efficiency. The device was worn overnight on the nondominant wrist. During footbath conditions, it was fitted after footbath completion; during routine care, it was fitted one hour before bedtime. Devices were collected the following morning before 9:00 a.m. SE values from two consecutive nights under each condition were averaged for analysis.
Time frame: Over seven consecutive nights per participant, from baseline to completion of the interventions, sleep efficiency was assessed nightly: once at baseline and twice for each two-night condition (ankle-level footbath, routine care, below-knee footbath).
Plan to share: No — There are no plans to share individual participant data (IPD) from this study.
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