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Sleep quality and noise: comparisons between hospital and home settings
Rosanna Bevan1, Sarah Grantham-Hill1, Ruth Bowen1
1Division of Clinical Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
Insights
Children and parents experience significantly poorer sleep quality and reduced sleep duration in hospitals compared to home. Elevated hospital noise levels contribute to this sleep deprivation, impacting patient recovery and parental well-being.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric healthcare
- Sleep medicine
- Environmental health
Background:
- Children and parents report poor sleep quality and noise disturbances in hospital settings.
- Hospital environments are often associated with sleep disruption for pediatric patients and their caregivers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantitatively measure and compare sleep quality and noise levels in pediatric hospital wards versus home environments.
- To investigate the impact of hospital noise on the sleep of children and their co-sleeping parents.
Main Methods:
- An observational, case-controlled study involving children (3-16 years) and their co-sleeping parents.
- Sleep quality was assessed using actigraphy for up to 5 nights in both hospital and home settings.
- Median overnight sound levels were monitored in a subgroup of participants in both environments.
Main Results:
- Children and parents experienced significantly less sleep in the hospital (children: 62.9 min/night less; parents: 72.8 min/night less) compared to home.
- Sleep efficiency was lower in the hospital for both children (77.0% vs. 83.2% at home) and parents (77.1% vs. 88.9% at home).
- Median hospital noise levels (48.6 dBA) exceeded WHO recommendations (30 dB) and were higher than at home (34.7 dBA).
Conclusions:
- Pediatric wards are associated with poor sleep quality for children and their mothers, potentially affecting recovery and pain tolerance.
- Elevated noise levels in hospitals are a significant factor contributing to sleep deprivation.
- Reducing hospital noise could improve sleep quality, enhancing the experience for both children and parents.
Background:
Children and their parents report poor sleep in hospital and complain about noise.
Objective:
To measure sleep quality and noise levels in hospital and compare these with the home environment.
Design:
Observational within case-controlled study.
Setting:
Paediatric medical wards at Southampton Children's Hospital and bedrooms at home.
Participants And Methods:
Participants were children aged 3-16 years and their co-sleeping parents. Sleep quality was measured using actigraphy for a maximum of 5 nights in each setting. Median sound levels at the bedside were monitored overnight in a subgroup in both settings.
Main Outcome Measures:
Total sleep time, sleep efficiency, median sound levels overnight.
Results:
40 children and 16 mothers completed actigraphy in both settings. Children had on average 62.9 min, and parents 72.8 min, per night less sleep in hospital than at home. Both children and parents had poorer sleep quality in hospital than at home: mean sleep efficiency 77.0% vs 83.2% for children and 77.1% vs 88.9% for parents, respectively. Median sound levels in hospital measured in 8 children averaged 48.6 dBA compared with 34.7 dBA at home and exceeded World Health Organization recommendations of 30 dB.
Conclusions:
Children and their mothers have poor quality sleep in paediatric wards. This may affect the child's behaviour, recovery and pain tolerance. Sleep deprivation adds to parental burden and stress. Sound levels are significantly raised in hospital and may contribute to poor sleep. Reduction in the level of noise might lead to an improvement in sleep, affecting the quality of stay of both parent and child.
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