Combined sleep intervention and nutritional support to enhance postoperative recovery in gastric cancer: a prospective randomized controlled trial.

[OBJECTIVE] This study evaluated whether combined sleep intervention and enhanced nutritional support improve postoperative recovery in gastric cancer patients, focusing on sleep quality, nutritional status, pain, psychological well-being, and quality of life.

[METHODS] A single-center, prospective, randomized controlled trial was conducted at the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University between June 2021 and June 2023. A total of 290 patients undergoing gastric cancer surgery were randomly assigned to an Intervention group (n = 145), which received a structured sleep intervention (relaxation training, music therapy, environmental optimization, and optional short-term zolpidem 5-10 mg nightly for up to 14 days) plus enhanced nutritional support, or to a Control group (n = 145), which received standard care alone. Outcomes were evaluated at baseline and after 15 days, including sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, PSQI), nutritional indicators (body weight, serum albumin, total protein, prealbumin, transferrin, and procollagen type III N-terminal propeptide), pain (Visual Analogue Scale, VAS), psychological state (Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, SAS; Self-Rating Depression Scale, SDS), and quality of life (EORTC QLQ-C30).

[RESULTS] Both groups showed significant postoperative improvements in PSQI, nutritional markers, pain, and psychological outcomes (all P < 0.05). The Intervention group demonstrated greater benefits, with lower PSQI scores, greater gains in nutritional status, lower SAS and SDS scores, and more favorable quality-of-life outcomes compared with controls (all P < 0.05).

[CONCLUSION] Combined sleep intervention and nutritional support significantly enhance postoperative recovery in gastric cancer patients, improving sleep, nutrition, pain control, psychological well-being, and overall quality of life.