The Importance of Sleep in the Healthcare Setting

June 11, 2021 - By Ariane Rasori

The Importance of Sleep in the Healthcare Setting

by Dr. Mila Rojas

The long shifts and sleepless nights that are part of the life of most healthcare workers are well-known across the medical community. It is often considered normal and an intrinsic part of the healthcare system. However, this doesn’t mean certain changes aren’t needed and that healthcare practitioners (HCPs) can’t implement some strategies to ensure they improve their sleep hygiene as much as they can.

Lack of Sleep and its Consequences

The adult human body requires a minimum of 5 hours of sleep in 24 hours, with an ideal of 7–8 hours of sleep. However, during a shift, HCPs often go without any sleep at all for over 24 hours. This has serious effects on cognitive function that should not be disregarded.

The drive for sleep increases due to exhaustion and the normal circadian cycle, and it has been reported that lack of sleep could be a latent danger for patients. This is mainly due to decreased awareness and the possibility of impaired decision-making (1). Plus, HCPs can suffer from sleep-wake disorder, an imbalance of the circadian rhythm caused by the non-traditional schedule followed by most healthcare workers. It has been estimated that between 10 to 40% of HCPs suffer from this disorder (2).

In addition, it has been suggested that there are more concerns than just lack of sleep during a work shift. There is a significant number of healthcare workers that suffer from chronic pain or that have an unhealthy diet and are sedentary. This has been associated with sleep disturbances that extended beyond 24-hour shifts and that have an impact int the everyday life of the worker (3).

One of the main challenges addressing these concerns is that policy-level changes are needed. Therefore, it’s not only about reducing the duration of schedules. It also requires a comprehensive overhaul and redesign of sleep policies, the organization of shifts, shift rotation schedule, and personal commitment to healthy sleep habits.

What Can You Do for Your Sleep Schedule?

As an HCP, it is your responsibility to implement healthy sleep habits in your life as much as possible. There are some important steps you can take to work on this subject.

Maintain a healthy diet in which vegetables and fruits are heavily included. This might sound like basic advice but there is a reason for it. Studies have found that fruits such as kiwi, tart cherries, and other foods like nuts improve your quality of sleep (4) while decreased intake of vegetables has been associated with poor sleep (5).
Have a consistent schedule. While this is not always possible due to changes in shift schedule, you should try to establish a consistent time for going to bed and deviate from it as much as possible. This includes going to bed at the same time every day — even on your day off — and including a relaxing activity right before going to bed. This can be reading a book, listening to relaxing music or using a sleep app for meditation, or listening to a soothing voice narrate a story on one of these apps.
Take a nap! Taking a short nap right before your shift can be a great help that won’t only increase your energy but bring a bit of balance in regards to the hours of sleep you will be missing.
Head straight home after work and wear sunglasses on your way there. This can help you trick your circadian clock, which will allow you to fall asleep more easily once you are back home.
Avoid noises and stimulants (caffeine, exercise) right before you go to bed. Let anyone living with you know that you will be sleeping the day after your shift and that you require a relaxing environment.
Consider taking melatonin, which is recommended by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine in cases of sleep-wake disorder.

These tips and tools might sound incompatible with your current life. If you have small kids at home is terribly difficult to have a quiet environment in the morning. Plus, if you have to stay in your workplace after your shift, you will have little time to rest.

If you are able to implement all these tools, amazing! But if you’re not, try to choose at least one that connects more with your life and your current situation and implement it. It will still help and it will aid you in improving your sleep hygiene.

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