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Sleep patterns as a predictor for length of stay in a psychiatric intensive care unit

Knut Langsrud1, Arne E Vaaler1, Håvard Kallestad1

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, St Olavs University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway; Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.

Psychiatry Research
|January 26, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Sleep duration and its variations in the first nights of psychiatric intensive care units (PICUs) predict patient length of stay. Stabilizing sleep patterns may improve outcomes for PICU patients.

Area of Science:

  • Psychiatry
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Critical Care

Background:

  • Limited research exists on the relationship between sleep patterns and length of stay in psychiatric intensive care units (PICUs).
  • Understanding sleep's role is crucial for optimizing patient recovery and resource management in acute psychiatric settings.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if sleep duration and night-to-night sleep duration variability during the initial nights in a PICU predict the length of stay.
  • To identify specific sleep parameters that may serve as indicators for prolonged hospitalization in psychiatric care.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 135 consecutive patients admitted to a PICU was studied.
  • Nurses systematically recorded observed sleep duration for the first three nights.
  • Statistical analyses were performed to correlate sleep duration and variability with length of stay.

Main Results:

  • Mean sleep duration in the first three nights was 7.5 (±3.2) hours.
  • First-night sleep duration negatively correlated with length of stay in patients with schizophrenia.
  • Night-to-night sleep duration differences (mean 3.3 ±3.0 hours) correlated with length of stay for all patients, particularly those with schizophrenia.

Conclusions:

  • Significant intra-individual variations in sleep duration were observed across all diagnostic groups in the PICU.
  • Addressing and stabilizing night-to-night sleep variations could be a key therapeutic target to potentially reduce length of stay.

Keywords:
Acute diseaseHospitalizationInpatientsPsychiatrySleep

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