Healthy sleep and nursing

Abstract

The COVID-ig pandemic has increased and highlighted the day-to-day demands of nursing and effects on sleep.1 During the pandemic, the prevalence of sleep disturbances among healthcare workers and nursing students was 31% and 27% (respectively), compared to 18% of the general population.2,3 Given that sleep is important for cognitive, emotional and physical wellbeing,4,5 sleep may be especially important for nurses - a demanding profession that often requires shift work - a known risk factor for poor sleep.1,6 Studies support the importance of sleep for nurses.7"9 Poor sleep has been associated with reduced quality of life, weight gain, hypertension, and diabetes among nurses.7,8,10"12 In addition to personal health concerns, poor sleep has also been associated with medical errors,13 reduced job productivity9 and burnout.14"16 Perhaps most concerning, studies suggest that although objective performance continues to decline with chronic partial sleep deprivation, subjective ratings of alertness level-off.17 This means that an individual who is sleep deprived becomes less aware of how their performance has been impaired, in much the same way that a person who is intoxicated does not realise many of their cognitive and physical abilities are compromised.18 Fortunately, wellness programs that recognise the importance of sleep are being developed to support nurses. There are thoughts that strategies to promote wellbeing and resilience should be developed early in a nurse's career.1 However, many of these initiatives fail to identify the importance of sleep despite growing concerns of poor sleep during the graduate nurse year.1 In a recent study of 88 newly graduated nurses working in a tertiary hospital in South Korea, Kim and Lee found a significant decline in subjective sleep quality over the first four months of undertaking shift work as a nurse, which was associated with a decline in quality of life.23 Similarly Donovan and colleagues reported emotional, physical and mental exhaustion was often attributed to sleep deprivation during the graduate year of nursing and midwifery24 Epstein and colleagues also explored sleep during the graduate year and found graduate nurses had limited and potentially counterproductive strategies to cope with fatigue.25 Whether poor sleep continues, worsens, or improves during the nursing career remains unclear. Prevalence of mental health problems and sleep disturbances in nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sampson M, Melnyk B, Hoying J. The MINDBODYSTRONG intervention for new nurse residents: 6-Month effects on mental health outcomes, healthy lifestyle behaviors, and job satisfaction.