Sleep medication and melatonin use among Norwegian nurses - A cross-sectional study
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Published on: October 20, 2023
Ingeborg Forthun1, Siri Waage1,2, Ståle Pallesen2,3,4
1Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
Aim:
To estimate the prevalence of sleep medication and melatonin use among nurses and to assess if factors related to work, sleep or mental health, were associated with such use.
Design:
A cross-sectional study.
Methods:
A questionnaire survey including 2,798 Norwegian nurses. Associations were estimated using a modified Poisson regression model.
Results:
In total, 7.5%, 4.6% and 2.0% of the nurses included in the present study reported prescribed sleep medication, over-the-counter sleep medication or melatonin use in the last year, respectively. Short sleep duration, sleep problems and psychological conditions were strongly associated with both prescribed and over-the-counter sleep medication use. Nurses who worked more than 60 night shifts in the last year were at increased risk of sleep medication use.
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