Nurses have an increased risk of sleep disturbance and sleep deprivation

According to preliminary findings from a new study, there is a high prevalence of insufficient sleep and common sleep disorder symptoms among nurses at medical centers.

The results show that 49% of participating nurses in a university medical center had an average of less than 7 hours of sleep per night and an average nighttime sleep of 6.6 hours. Symptoms compatible with chronic insomnia were identified in 31% of nurses and excessive daytime sleepiness was observed in 4.5% of them. Twenty-seven percent of nurses used medication to help them sleep and 13% reported using medication to stay awake. The symptoms indicating a shiftwork disorder were present in 31% of the nurses. About 18.5% of nurses also had a moderate to severe risk of obstructive sleep apnea.

"We were surprised by the number of nurses potentially suffering from sleep disorders, including chronic insomnia and shiftwork disorders," said lead author Francis Christian, MD, a research scientist. second year at the Health Sciences Center of the University of Oklahoma (Oklahoma). City.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that adults sleep regularly 7 hours or more per night to promote optimal health. According to the authors, it is estimated that nearly 100,000 deaths occur each year in US hospitals as a result of medical errors and that sleep deprivation and sleep disturbance are important factors in this risk.

The study included an online survey of 1,165 nurses at a tertiary care medical center. Questions asked about topics such as sleep schedule and medications. Questionnaires such as STOP-BANG and Epworth Sleepiness Scale were used to badess symptoms of sleep disorder among nurses.

"Nurses are at increased risk of circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders, such as shiftwork disorders," said Christian. "Recognition must take place so that we can appropriately screen and change the schedule to ease the burden of posted work disorders among nurses."

The research summary was recently published in an online supplement of the journal To sleep and will be presented on Monday, June 10th in San Antonio at SLEEP 2019, the 33rd annual conference of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC (APSS), a joint venture of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society.