Evaluation of the sleep pattern in Nursing professionals working night shifts at the Intensive Care Units

Objective: This study aimed to assess the quality of sleep and verify the presence of excessive daytime somnolence in Nursing professionals working night shifts at the Intensive Care Units of the Central Institute of Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de S o Paulo. Methods: Seventy-five Nursing professionals were evaluated: 33% were registered nurses and 66% were licensed practical nurses; 81% of the participants were females. The age ranged from 22 to 60 years, with a mean age of 38 years. The instruments used were the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Rresults: This study showed that 97.3% of professionals have a poor quality of sleep and 70.67% have an excessive daytime sleepiness. Cconclusions: In view of this, some interventions are necessary, such as the planning of a comfortable room with television, radio and appropriate beds; a routine rotation of hours per employee for resting and meals; changing of the night-time workload by reducing the shift from 12 hours to eight hours and having 15-minute breaks every two hours.