Abstract
Sleep disturbance is a commonly overlooked complication of hospitalized and intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Sleep in critically ill patients is often characterized by frequent disturbances to sleep structure, sleep depth, and changes in circadian rhythm that occur for a multitude of reasons. In an acute care setting, the quality of sleep is generally neglected due to the ongoing care of the patient’s illness. Medical personnel do not attach much importance to a patient’s sleep quality as they have many other duties and need to provide holistic care. Sleep disturbance due to increased awakenings in these clinical settings can have similar consequences and adverse health effects as sleep deprivation. It can negatively impact multiple organ systems, impeding overall well-being and prolonging the length of stay of these patients. There are various sleep measurement methods in ICU patients, although they do not all measure the same dimensions, and some of them are subjective and a few objective measurements. Many factors disturb the sleep of patients in an ICU setting, some of which consist of environmental factors, patient care activities including pharmacological and mechanical interventions, and patient-related factors. Changes in sleep structure develo** during an ICU stay may significantly contribute to sleep disorders that carry forward even after the hospitalization is over. Some of the measures aim at increasing patients’ comfort, reducing light and noise intensity at night, and an appropriate organization and aggregation of nursing care interventions to prevent sleep interruptions have been proven effective in sleep interruptions in an ICU setting. Awareness of the medical personnel and hospital employees along with interaction within the therapeutic team regarding the sleep-disturbing factors in the ICU setting and techniques for preventing it can significantly improve the quality of sleep of the patients. Here, in this chapter, we have highlighted the factors causing sleep disturbances, their physiological effects on different systems of the body and a few possible methods to mitigate these disturbances.
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Vaishnav, P.P., Suresh, A., Kooragayalu, S., Kooragayalu, S. (2023). Sleep Disturbances in Hospitalized and Intensive Care Unit Patients. In: BaHammam, A.S., Hunasikatti, M. (eds) Sleep Apnea Frontiers. Progress in Sleep Research. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-7901-1_15
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