Effect of Stress Ball Use on Pain, Sleep Quality and Physiological Parameters

The stress ball suppresses most of the nerves and muscles around the wrist and hand, which are directly connected to the brain, and stimulates the nerves and muscles. This mechanism reduces the release of stress hormones and regulates blood pressure by providing relaxation and relaxation (Dinis \& Sousa, 2023; Soltani et al., 2023). Stress ball, which is easy to apply, inexpensive, has no side effects on the patient, and is an effective method in physical and emotional recovery, is an intervention that can be preferred in nursing practices (Gezginci, Iyigun, Kibar, \& Bedir, 2018; Kasar, Erzincanli, \& Akbas, 2020). Stress ball application is effective on pain, anxiety and vital signs in different patient groups (Genç, Korkmaz, \& Akkurt, 2022; Gezginci, Iyigun, Kibar, \& Bedir, 2018; Karatas \& Gezginci, 2023), but no randomised controlled study has been found in which stress ball application was performed in intensive care patients.