Objectives Recent studies have demonstrated that first-line nurses involved in the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) crisis may experience sleep disturbances. As breathing relaxation techniques can improve sleep quality, anxiety, and depression, the current study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of diaphragmatic breathing relaxation training (DBRT) for improving sleep quality among nurses in Wuhan, China during the COVID-19 outbreak. Methods This study used a quasi-experimental (before and after) intervention strategy, with 151 first-line nurses from four wards in Leishenshan hospital. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) to evaluate the effectiveness of DBRT before and after the intervention. Data were examined using the Shapiro-Wilk test, Levene’s test, and paired t -test. Results A total of 140 nurses completed the DBRT sessions. First-line nurses achieved significant reductions in global sleep quality ( p <0.01), subjective sleep quality ( p< 0.001), sleep latency ( p <0.01), sleep duration ( p< 0.001), sleep disturbances ( p< 0.001), habitual sleep efficiency ( p =0.015), daytime dysfunction ( p =0.001), and anxiety ( p =0.001). There were no significant reductions in the use of sleeping medication ( p =0.134) and depression ( p =0.359). Conclusion DBRT is a useful non-pharmacological treatment for improving sleep quality and reducing anxiety among first-line nurses involved in the COVID-19 outbreak.

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