Trends in Nurses' Sleep: A Meta-Regression Involving 219,245 Nurses From 45 Countries

To examine temporal trends in nurses' sleep duration and quality.

In recent decades, the nursing workplace demands have intensified. This is thought to have contributed to a decline in nurses' sleep duration and quality. Despite concerns, it remains unclear if nurses' sleep has changed.

A systematic database search was used to identify studies reporting nurses' total sleep time or sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index [PSQI]). Trends in mean sleep duration and global PSQI scores were analysed using generalised linear regression models adjusted for age, sex, geographic region, shift type and measurement method (self-report vs. actigraphy).

Data were extracted from 280 studies representing 219,245 nurses. A significant decline of 28.7 min was observed in sleep duration (95% CI: 26.2, 33.1, standardised effect size [ES]: 0.43) between 1985 and 2022, while a 1.6-point increase in global PSQI scores was observed between 1990 and 2023, indicative of poorer sleep quality (95% CI: 1.47, 1.77, ES: 0.49).

These findings suggest a decline in nurses' sleep duration and quality over recent decades. These trends suggest that targeted interventions may be needed to improve nurses' sleep health.

Temporal declines in nurses' sleep duration and quality may reflect an increased risk of fatigue, impaired clinical performance, staff burnout and work-related accidents. This study provides important insights into workforce well-being and highlights the need for nurse managers to recognise staff susceptibility to poor sleep and proactively develop and implement strategies that promote healthy sleep.