When you’re in the hospital, sleep is a life-saver

I recently visited a friend in the hospital, and to my surprise, he told me he was sleeping well.

The concept of a good night’s sleep in a hospital almost doesn’t compute!

My friend was lucky to have a room in a modern new hospital wing that seemed to be purposely designed to reduce hallway noise.

That might not seem important when you’re young, but for older patients, it can literally help save your life.

Modifying factors for better sleep

This issue was recently investigated with an unusual study conducted over one night in 39 hospitals located in the Netherlands.

The study — led by researchers at Amsterdam’s VU University Medical Center — enrolled more than 2000 patients with an average age of 68. Each participant responded to questions from a standardized sleep diary as well as a patient-reported system to assess sleep disturbance.

The results won’t surprise anyone who’s ever been frustrated by attempts to sleep in a hospital. Compared to the length and quality of sleep patients said they were used to at home, they reported:

  • An average of 83 minutes less sleep
  • One additional nocturnal awakening (two at home, three in the hospital)
  • More than 1,300 were awakened by external causes
  • About one-third of those awakenings involved hospital staff

In the conclusions, reported in JAMA Internal Medicine, the authors note that “many potentially modifiable hospital-related factors” were negatively linked with sleep. Meaning quality of sleep didn’t have to be poor. With some effort by hospital staff, it could have been better.

This is so important to older patients because poor sleep is a major contributor to a dangerous but underestimated condition called “hospital delirium.”

Do it without drugs

If you’re over 70 and recover from surgery in the hospital, you’re at high risk of experiencing some level of this condition which can lead to longer hospital stays, likelihood of medical complications, and even death.

And for older patients in ICU, the risk of hospital delirium is a shocking 80 percent.

Too often, the condition is treated with sedatives and other drugs, but the side effects of these drugs often cause disorientation and end up complicating the problem rather than solving it.

In a commentary that accompanied the JAMA study, a team of doctors discuss the importance of minimizing sleep disruption — including practical suggestions to help patients get the sleep they need, without sleep aids or other drugs.

For instance, they cite a randomized controlled trial where researchers gave earplugs to ICU patients, resulting in lower incidence of confusion, which reduced their delirium risk.

One of the authors of the commentary developed a program called Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP) that’s aimed at helping hospital staff, doctors, patients, and caregivers take simple steps to reduce delirium, risk of falling, length of stay, and readmissions.

Some of these interventions include:

  • Warm drinks
  • Massage
  • Relaxing music
  • Noise reduction strategies
  • Schedule adjustments

A doctor who responded to the JAMA article offered another useful tip: Simply add the words “when awake” to medications and vital sign orders.

Earlier this spring I sent you a warning to avoid a drug used to prevent hospital delirium. That article also included a few tips on how to make sure your loved ones don’t slip into a disoriented state of mind that can lead to delirium.

In addition, the HELP website features a page that includes 10 tips to “Avoid Confusion in the Hospital.” And just like the ear plug suggestion, all these common-sense steps can make a life or death difference in an older patient’s hospital experience.

Of course, poor sleep can happen to anyone. But Dr. Fred Pescatore has developed a Perfect Sleep Protocol that can cure your restlessness easily, without drugs — whether you’re in a hospital or not. Click here to find out more, or sign up today.

SOURCES

jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2687528
Quality and Quantity of Sleep and Factors Associated With Sleep Disturbance in Hospitalized Patients
JAMA Internal Medicine
July 16, 2018

jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2687522
Minimizing Sleep Disruption for Hospitalized Patients: A Wake-up Call
JAMA Internal Medicine
July 16, 2018