A study by the University of Surrey and the University of Padova has discovered something interesting about how patients sleep in hospitals.
It turns out that being close to a window helps patients sleep better than being elsewhere in the ward.
Also, if the noise level keeps changing, it makes it harder for patients to get good sleep while they’re in the hospital.
The research team wanted to find ways to make being in the hospital less disruptive to patients’ natural sleep patterns. Our bodies follow a 24-hour cycle called the circadian rhythm, which is influenced by things like light and darkness. This study was published in the Journal of Biological Rhythms.
Sara Montagnese, a professor at the University of Surrey, explains that staying in the hospital can mess up this rhythm.
Patients might not sleep well because they’re sick, or because the hospital is a strange and noisy place with different light, food, and activity than they’re used to. This can make them sleepy during the day and restless at night, which might even make their recovery take longer.
She believes it’s important to find ways to help hospital patients keep their normal sleep patterns. This could make their stay in the hospital better and help them get healthier faster.
For the study, 50 patients in the hospital were closely watched to see how well they slept. They kept a sleep diary and wore a device that tracked their activity. The researchers also noted things like where their bed was, how much light and noise they were exposed to.
The patients were split into two groups. One group, called “Circadian Care,” tried a new routine to help them sleep better. They wore special glasses with light that helped them wake up in the morning for 45 minutes.
In the evening, they wore glasses that blocked this light. They also had meals and did activities at times that matched their usual schedule at home. The other group, “standard of care,” didn’t change their routine.
The results were promising. The “Circadian Care” group started going to bed earlier and slept better than when they first came to the hospital.
The study also found that where you sleep in the hospital matters. Patients near a window slept more soundly than those further away.
This shows how important natural light is for hospital patients. Also, if the noise level in the ward kept changing, patients woke up more often during the night.
Professor Montagnese points out that light is key to keeping our sleep cycle on track. Too much light in the evening can make it hard to fall asleep, and not enough light in the morning can throw off our rhythm. The study shows that managing light exposure can really help.
She also mentions that noise in hospitals is hard to avoid, but there might be ways to reduce it, especially at night.
This could involve training hospital staff or making changes to equipment like medication carts to make them quieter. All these changes could lead to better sleep for patients in hospitals.
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The research findings can be found in Journal of Biological Rhythms.
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