In an editorial published in the Journal of Sleep Research, sleep researcher Dieter Riemann, PhD, highlighted recent study results on sleep disorders in the intensive care unit (ICU), the effects of wind turbine noise on sleep quality, and the effects of shift planning rules on the sleep of shift workers and the relationship between prenatal maternal sleep, long-term anxiety, and postpartum depression.
The first study examined the effects of nightly nursing interventions, such as the assessment of vital parameters, on the quality of sleep in patients admitted to the intensive care unit. It has been found that nursing interventions are not the number one cause of insomnia in these patients, suggesting that other factors in the intensive care unit may contribute to poor sleep. Therefore, the study researchers found that additional analysis is required to determine which nightly nursing interventions are necessary and which interventions can be reserved for the time of day.
In another study, researchers investigated that sleeping near wind turbines affects objective and subjective sleep ratings. The study, which was a meta-analysis of 5 studies and a systematic review of 9 studies, found that wind turbine noise did not significantly affect objective sleep continuity parameters, including sleep latency, total sleep time, sleep efficiency, or waking up after sleep. Despite these results, the study researchers came to the conclusion that the heterogeneous methodology of the studies assessed could limit the overall interpretation of the results.
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In addition, Dr. Riemann put together another study that looked at the effects of ergonomic shift planning rules on the sleeping and working time characteristics of older shift workers. The ergonomic shift planning rule reduced working hours to 50 hours per week, provided for a maximum of 5 night shifts in a row, granted workers 2 days off after a night shift, provided for a maximum night shift duration of 10 hours and reduced the number of quick returns from evening to night Early stage.
A total of 253 workers were in the intervention group, while 1234 people were in the control group. The ergonomic rules only led to minor changes in objective working hours; However, the intervention had a “buffering effect against deterioration in sleep”, according to the study researchers.
In another long-term study, the researchers examined prenatal maternal sleep and the associated courses of anxiety symptoms and postpartum depression. The study included 215 women who were examined from the third trimester to 18 months after giving birth. Study researchers obtained measurements of symptoms of depression and anxiety through self-reports in the third trimester and 3, 6, 12, and 18 months after birth. The pregnancy study showed that mothers who slept less during pregnancy had a higher long-term risk of belonging to a trajectory with high comorbidity.
Riemann emphasized that these studies deal with “different but very important topics in sleep medicine” that are decisive for the future of sleep research and the sleep quality of patients.
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Riemann D. Systematic reviews and meta-analyzes: Sleeping in the intensive care unit and in the vicinity of wind turbines. J sleep. 2021; 30 (4): e13427. doi: 10.1111 / jsr.13427
