Interventions to Improve the Sleep of Nurses: An Integrative Review

Adequate sleep is critical for nurses, affecting their physical, emotional, and occupational health. Nurses suffer from higher levels of sleep disorders than the national average, especially night-shift nurses, with rates as high as 61%. Irregular work/sleep patterns and occupational stress are the main contributors to inadequate sleep for nurses. Not only does this issue impact nurses, but insufficient sleep has been linked to billions of dollars lost due to decreased productivity and medical errors.

This integrative review explores and evaluates existing research on nonpharmacologic interventions designed to improve sleep function and quality for nurses.

A systematic search was performed to find research interventions that improved nurses' sleep. CINAHL, Scopus, and OVID Medline databases were searched using the terms (sleep OR circadian rhythm) AND (intervention OR sleep hygiene) AND (nurs*). After the initial search, reference lists and secondary sources were evaluated for potential articles for inclusion.

This review included 33 articles. Interventions included exercise, lighting manipulation, supplements, aromatherapy, education, music therapy, and mindfulness/meditation. All 7 exercise interventions included in this review improved participants' sleep length and quality. Nearly all mindfulness and aromatherapy interventions that promote relaxation and stress reduction were effective. Exposing nurses to bright light did not necessarily correlate with increased sleep but did improve fatigue levels at work.

Prioritizing sleep can ensure the health and safety of nurses, and further research is still needed. Health care organizations can positively impact this problem by implementing effective practices to improve the sleep health of nurses.