Lack of sleep is harming health care workers – and their patients

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Lack of Sleep is Harming Health Care Workers – and Their Patients

Sleep Problems are Common Among Health Care Workers

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Health care providers are often expected to be the picture of health and wellness, but the reality is that many are struggling with sleep issues. The COVID-19 pandemic has shed a worrying light on the physical and mental health of health care workers, including their lack of sleep. Research has shown that poor sleep can have devastating consequences, including cognitive decline, early mortality, and increased risk of adverse health outcomes.

Health Care Worker Sleep Problems Can be Costly

Insomnia symptoms are a significant public health and economic burden, estimated to have cost U.S. workers $63.2 billion in 2010. For health care workers, insufficient sleep duration, poor sleep quality, and untreated insomnia may increase medical errors at the front lines. In fact, a study found that very high sleep-related impairment is associated with 97% greater odds of self-reported clinically significant medical errors among physicians.

How Can We Improve Sleep Quality for Health Care Workers?

Health care workers are desperate for help to improve their sleep. In a survey, 92% of nurses and 66% of direct-care workers expressed a willingness to participate in a sleep intervention if given the opportunity. However, sleep interventions need to be tailored to the specific needs of health care workers. One study found that reducing work-related stressors, such as work-family conflicts, by increasing employee schedule control and supervisor support, increased sleep duration among IT workers but had no impact on direct-care workers.

Mindfulness-Based Strategies May Improve Sleep

Our next step was to determine what kinds of sleep interventions would work best for health care workers. When inpatient nurses were asked what sleep interventions they preferred, the majority preferred mindfulness-based strategies over cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia and sleep hygiene education. Mindfulness-based strategies focus less on changing behavior and more on centering the individual in the present moment. By neutrally observing and accepting their thoughts and feelings, meditation practices may improve insomnia symptoms by decreasing physiological arousal and minimizing psychological factors like rumination.

The Relationship Between Mindfulness and Sleep is Bidirectional

The relationship between mindfulness and sleep is bidirectional. Increasing mindfulness may improve sleep, and improved sleep may increase mindfulness. Our team found that better nightly sleep for health care workers is associated with higher mindfulness the following day. As a practice that cultivates attention to and awareness of what is taking place in the present moment – a state of mind critical to providing care – these findings suggest that improving sleep may provide important benefits to patient care delivery by increasing “mindful care.”

Conclusion

Sleep is not just a personal issue; it is a public health concern that affects not only health care workers but also their patients. Health care workers need sufficient sleep to efficiently and effectively deliver high-quality patient care. We must prioritize sleep as a critical component of health care worker well-being and develop targeted interventions to support their sleep health.

FAQs

Q: What is the prevalence of insomnia symptoms among health care workers?
A: Studies have shown that health care workers experience sleep problems at a higher rate than workers in other industries.

Q: How can health care workers improve their sleep quality?
A: Health care workers can benefit from mindfulness-based strategies, reducing work-related stressors, and increasing employee schedule control and supervisor support.

Q: What are the consequences of poor sleep among health care workers?
A: Poor sleep can lead to cognitive decline, early mortality, and increased risk of adverse health outcomes.

Q: How can we prioritize sleep as a critical component of health care worker well-being?
A: We must develop targeted interventions to support health care workers’ sleep health, recognizing the bidirectional relationship between mindfulness and sleep.