Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Rita E. CheekBarker, Tina Marie2013-06-252013-06-252009https://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/872Despite the importance of coronary heart disease (CHD) as a major health problem and cardiac rehabilitation as a means of secondary prevention, no previous studies have been found which describe sleep patterns and sleep hygiene practices in this population. Sleep is essential for mental and physical well being and good sleep hygiene practices promote high quality sleep. Poor sleep quality can increase the risk of a myocardial infarction in persons with CHD. The purpose of this descriptive study was to describe sleep patterns and practices of adults diagnosed with CHD and participating in a cardiac rehabilitation program. Two survey tools, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Sleep Hygiene Index, were used to collect data on a convenience sample of 31 adults participating in cardiac rehabilitation programs located in southern Montana. The questionnaires were returned with a response rate of 69.3%. Study results indicate poor sleep quality in this sample population which was primarily due to poor sleep efficiency and sleep disturbance. Sleep hygiene practices of this sample were relatively good, with only a few areas of deficiencies observed. The findings from this study provide a basis for future research. Future research needs to approach the cardiac rehabilitation population on a larger scale and determine if specific sleep hygiene practices correlate with poor sleep quality. Nurse practitioners and other providers can incorporate this knowledge into interventions to promote sleep and sleep hygiene practices.enSleepSleep disordersHeartDiseasesCardiologyPatients--RehabilitationThesisCopyright 2009 by Tina Marie Barker