Sleep Disturbances in Hospitalized Children

Sleep provides physical and psychological rest. Sleep disturbance impinges on recovery. Sleep disturbances in hospitalized children is on the rise, and therefore it is essential to identify the various causes of sleep disturbances in order to rectify and enhance the quality of sleep in hospitalized children. This study used a descriptive design to identify the causes of sleep disturbances and to associate various factors affecting sleep in hospitalized children and selected demographic and clinical variables. A convenience sampling technique was used to recruit 30 parents whose children were admitted in the pediatric medical wards of a tertiary care hospital in South India. Demographic variable proforma and an investigator prepared questionnaire were used to identify the causes of sleep disturbance in children. The results revealed 40 % had severe sleep disturbances, 50% had moderate sleep disturbances and 10% had no sleep disturbances. Also the study revealed that there was significant association between sleep disturbance and number of days of hospitalization. The study showed that there was no significant association between causes of sleep disturbances and demographic variables. There is a need for identifying the causes of sleep disturbances in acute care settings and it is imperative for nurses to be able to identify the triggering factors of sleep disturbances and to eliminate them to ensure quality sleep in hospitalized children.