Self-help therapy for sleep problems in hospital nurses in Japan: a controlled pilot study

Abstract

The present pilot study examined the effectiveness of self-help therapy (SHT) in hospital nurses in Japan. Twenty-five hospital nurses (22 female, mean age 39.7 ± 14.6 years) participated in a 90-min workshop covering sleep hygiene education and brief stress management. After the workshop, participants in the SHT group (n = 10) were asked to practice good sleep habits, relaxation techniques, and keep a sleep diary, whereas participants in the control group (n = 15) were not. Pre- and post-test questionnaires, including the Japanese version of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (J-PSQI), were administered at a 2-week interval to assess subjective sleep quality, sleepiness, depressive symptoms, burnout, and quality of life. Changes in outcomes by treatment conditions were compared using linear mixed models. We found significant improvement in subjective sleep quality (global PSQI scores) in the SHT group, with Cohen’s d of 0.40. Participants with sleep problems at pre-test in the SHT group (scoring above the PSQI-J cut-off point) showed significant reduction in sleep latency and sleep disturbance, while those in the control group did not (Cohen’s d of 0.48 and 0.15, respectively). No significant improvement was found in the SHT group for sleepiness, although a clinically significant change was observed for subjective sleep quality and sleepiness in this group. No significant improvement was observed in either group for depressive symptoms, burnout, and quality of life. Our results provide preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of SHT for sleep problems in hospital nurses in Japan.

Factors associated with quality of sleep of nurses at Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, in 2013

“…The mean score of sleep of the nurses was 7.29 ± 3.66 which was consistent with the study by Akbari et al (4). Many studies reported the mean score of sleep quality of nurses as greater than 5 (2, 15, 26) which was higher than the quality of sleep score of ordinary individuals (4,26). Through the comparison of the results of these studies it can be concluded that the quality of sleep of nurses is poor.…”

“…There was a higher rate of sleep disorders in the elderly. In other studies, older people were less able to adapt to night shifts (26,33,34). Therefore, early retirement is recommended for nurses, so that younger people who have more ability to adapt to circadian rhythm disorders can be employed.…”

The relationship between sleep quality and psychological distress and job burnout among Chinese psychiatric nurses

“…For instance, a survey of 636 nurses from seven hospitals of different levels in Spain showed 6.80 ± 3.39 29) . A study in Japan found that 109 nurses in general hospitals had a sleep score of 6.0 ± 2.1 30) . This Insert Table 3 Insert Table 4 may be associated with a strong hidden risk of mental diseases.…”

Effect of Sleep Health Education on the Sleep Quality of Healthcare Workers in Health Clinics: Study Protocol

“…Neglect of sleep quality due to work or maladaptive sleep hygiene practice may predispose HCW to various adverse health outcomes (Peach et al, 2016;Nakada, Sugimoto, Kadotani & Yamada, 2018). While the use of medications may be helpful as a short term measure, the nonpharmacological methods would be ideal for a long term solution to promote better sleep quality Kaku et al, 2012;Morimoto et al, 2016).…”