Chronotype, general health and quality of sleep in a population of Spanish nurses

Sleep quality according to chronotype in nurses working 8-hour shifts

BACKGROUND

To date, studies have been focused on sleep disturbances of nurses working during night shifts. There is a lack of understanding regarding the sleep quality of nurses working in the rapid rotation system for each type of shift work.

AIMS

To determine the relationship between chronotype and sleep quality according to shift type (i.e. day, evening and night shifts) in nurses working 8-hour rotating shifts.

METHODS

A cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted from two tertiary hospitals in South Korea from December 2021 to September 2022, including nurses working 8-hour rotating shifts (N = 74). They completed questionnaires to measure general, occupational and sleep-related characteristics, chronotype, insomnia severity and daytime sleepiness. Additionally, sleep parameters were collected from actigraphy and sleep diaries for 7 days.

RESULTS

A total of 64% of nurses had an evening chronotype and 37% of nurses had an intermediate chronotype. Nurses had significantly less total sleep time and worsened sleep latency and efficiency during the day shift compared to other shift types. Compared to nurses with an intermediate chronotype, those with an evening chronotype had poorer sleep quality during day shift work.

CONCLUSIONS

Strategies to enhance nurses' sleep quality during day shifts should consider a two-level approach: individual approaches, such as improving sleep hygiene, and administrative approaches, such as establishing a chronotype-based shift system for scheduling.

Reduced Health-Related Quality of Life Due to Mobile Phone Dependence in a Sample of Chinese College Students: The Mediating Role of Chronotype and Sleep Quality

PURPOSE

Presenting a chain mediation model to investigate whether mobile phone dependence results in a reduction in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among Chinese college students, through the mediating effect of chronotype and sleep quality.

DESIGN AND SETTING

A cross-sectional survey was conducted on students from a Chinese university using a validated structured questionnaire.

SAMPLE

2014 freshmen.

MEASURES

The study measured the students' level of mobile phone dependence using the Self-rating Questionnaire for Adolescent Problematic Mobile Phone Use. Chronotype and sleep quality were measured by the Chinese version of the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), respectively. HRQoL was evaluated using the five-level EuroQol five-dimensional questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L), including a descriptive system and a visual analog scale (VAS).

ANALYSIS

Descriptive statistical analysis, correlation analysis, and mediation analysis.

RESULTS

Mobile phone dependence had a significant negative effect on HRQoL as indicated by both the EQ-5D-5L index score and EQ-VAS score (P < .001 for both). Additionally, it was found to significantly predict chronotype (MEQ score) (β = -.546, P < .001) and sleep quality (PSQI score) (β = .163, P < .001). Chronotype negatively predict sleep quality (β = -.058, P < .001), and sleep quality was a significant negative predictor of HRQoL (EQ-5D-5L index score, β = -.008, P < .001; EQ-VAS score, β = -1.576, P < .001).

CONCLUSION

Mobile phone dependence negatively impacts students' HRQoL through chronotype and sleep quality, and there is a chain mediating effect. Students should consider making lifestyle changes to improve their HRQoL and promote health.

Sleep quality and fatigue among nurses working in high-acuity clinical settings in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Poor sleep quality is prevalent among nurses worldwide. Around two-thirds of nurses doing shift work are known to experience sleep problems and fatigue. Fatigue and sleep problems are linked to poor performance, impaired alertness, injuries, chronic diseases, compromised healthcare quality, and medical errors, all of which detrimentally impact nurses and threaten patients' safety. This area of research has received insufficient attention in Saudi Arabia; therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the levels of sleep quality and perceived fatigue and their association among nurses working in acute care settings in comprehensive hospitals in Saudi Arabia.

METHODS

A descriptive cross-sectional study using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Chalder Fatigue Scale. Data was obtained via an online questionnaire that was distributed to nurses using the QuestionPro platform through hospital administrators, social media (WhatsApp), and personal contact.

RESULTS

A total of 173 nurses completed the online survey. Most participants reported poor sleep quality (n = 127, 73.4%) and severe perceived fatigue (n = 156, 90.2%). Furthermore, the study revealed a significant correlation between the overall sleep disturbance and fatigue global scores (r = 0.57, P < 0.001), indicating that poor sleep quality was significantly associated with higher fatigue levels among the study sample.

CONCLUSIONS

The current study found a significant association between sleep quality and severe fatigue in nurses working in high acute care settings in Saudi Arabia. It is very clear from the results that nurses are experiencing poor sleep and severe fatigue, which in turn, will negatively impact the nurse's quality of life and patient safety.

The association between chronotype and sleep quality among female home care workers performing shift work

There is a scarcity of evidence on the association between shift work, sleeping parameters, heart rate variability (HRV), and chronotype, i.e., morningness and eveningness. The aims of this study were to 1) compare participants with different chronotypes (morning (M), evening (E), or neither (N)) in terms of their total sleep time, sleep efficiency, and HRV parameters, taking their age into account, and 2) examine whether self-reported work-related stress, the length of the working career and years performing shift work affect this association. The participants of the study were home care workers working in two shifts in one municipality in Eastern Finland (N = 395). Of these, 52 females (mean age 42.78 y, SD 12.92 y) completed the study questionnaire and participated in physiological measurements. Several sleep-related parameters were assessed (total sleep time, sleep efficiency, number of awakenings, and length of awakening) and indices of autonomic nervous system based on HRV were calculated. The participants worked in two shifts: a morning shift (7:00-15:00 h) and an evening shift (14:00-21:30 h). All these parameters were assessed during the night before the first work shift (N1), the night before the second work shift (N2), the night before the final work shift (N3), and the night before the first day off work (N4). According to the results, 21.2% of the participants were M-types, 17.3% were E-types, and 61.5% were N-types. On average, the participants had been in working life for 18.8 years and performing shift work for 13.7 years. On night N3, E-types had a significantly shorter total sleep time and spent less time in bed compared to M- and N-types. The total sleep time of M-type and N-type participants was on average 66 minutes and 82 minutes longer, respectively, when compared to E-types on night N3. There were no statistically significant differences in actigraphy-based sleep quality parameters between M-, N-, and E-types on nights N1, N2, and N4. Our results together indicate that M- and N-type individuals may have better sleep quality than E-types, which was also reflected in HRV parameters. Further research with longitudinal study design and workplace interventions is needed to determine how the chronotype can be optimally and individually utilized to improve the health and well-being of morning-type and evening-type people. This is particularly important for both younger and older workers entering the workforce to support healthier and longer working lives.

Evaluation of sleep quality among nursing faculty: Application of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index-A descriptive correlational study

AIM

The aim of this study was to describe the overall sleep quality, sleep patterns and severity of sleep difficulties among nursing faculty using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).

DESIGN

Cross-sectional descriptive and correlational study.

METHODS

A survey of faculty recruited from Texas Board of Nursing approved colleges/schools was used. A purposive, convenience sample of 105 faculty completed the PSQI, a reliable and valid instrument, in an online setting. Data was collected from January 2019 through April 2019.

RESULTS

Nursing faculty reported sleep difficulty across all components, with more problems in sleep latency, sleep disturbances and subjective sleep quality. Overall, 70.5% of participants were reportedly "poor" sleepers, a salient finding. Faculty experienced poor sleep quality across all academic ranks and age groups. Sleep latency and subjective sleep quality were components that presented higher in severity for the youngest faculty.