Aims and objectives The aim was to describe nurses' experiences of patients' sleep at an emergency hospital and their perceptions of sleep‐promoting interventions. Background Promotion of patients' sleep during hospital care is an important intervention for the nursing profession. To promote sleep and to initiate sleep‐promoting interventions, nurses need basic knowledge about sleep and its physiology. Therefore, it is of importance to explore and expand knowledge about how nurses experience patients′ sleep and how they perceive working with it while providing care. Design A qualitative descriptive design was used. Methods Data were collected from four focus groups and seven individual interviews. A total of twenty‐two registered nurses participated. Data were analysed using a qualitative content analysis. Results Nurses expressed a desire and an ambition to work in ways that promote patients' sleep during hospitalisation. Nurses reported that health care services and emergency hospitals were not organised according to patients' perspective and needs. Furthermore, they did not have opportunities to work effectively to promote sleep according to the patients' wishes. Several nurses stated that they did not have sufficient knowledge about sleep and that they did the best they could under prevailing circumstances. Nurses emphasised the importance of sleep for patients and that it was an area that should be given far greater priority. Conclusions The results indicate that nurses currently have insufficient knowledge about sleep and sleep‐promoting interventions. These aspects of nursing is based on personal experience and common sense rather than being evidence based. Furthermore, sleep as a nursing topic needs to be developed and given more focus in order for nurses to be able to deliver high quality care at emergency hospitals. Relevance to clinical practice Nurses require more knowledge and education to gain deeper understanding of sleep and to deliver evidence‐based, high quality care.

This study indicates that emergency departments should review their procedures to avoid both deviations from normal practice and moral stress among registered nurses. This can contribute to an increased understanding and insight about the challenge of patient safety in an emergency department setting.

Many patients experience sleep disturbances and a reduced quality of sleep while hospitalized. Studies have shown that a person with a disease and/or a bodily injury has an increased need for sleep. Patients' experiences of sleep should govern how sleep disorders should be managed. It is thus necessary to focus upon and describe patients' needs and experiences. The aim of this study was to explore and describe patients' experiences of sleeping in hospital. The study is based on qualitative semi-structured interviews with ten consecutively included patients. The interviews were conducted between October 2010 and March 2011 and both audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Collected data were analysed by qualitative content analysis. The participants reported physical and psychological experiences that had affected their sleep. Their experiences were categorised using four themes: Bedside manner, Physical factors, Being involved and Integrity. Patients considered that experiencing some degree of control, feeling involved and preserving one's integrity affect sleep during hospitalization. Several factors have an impact on patients' sleep. It is not only physical factors but also psychological factors such as bedside manner and having the opportunity to influence and be involved. The patients' accounts provide a new perspective and open the door to changes in nursing care regarding patients' sleep.