Prevalence of sleep disturbance and associated factors among nurses in Chinese tertiary public hospitals: a national cross-sectional study

TL;DR

This study finds that 24.1% of Chinese nurses experience sleep disturbances, linked to factors like night shifts and unhealthy habits.

Contribution

The study provides the first national prevalence data on sleep disturbances among Chinese nurses and identifies specific risk factors.

Findings

The most common sleep issues were difficulty initiating and maintaining sleep.

Nurses in critical care, emergency, pediatrics, and obstetrics had higher sleep disturbance rates.

Factors like night shifts, smoking, and physical inactivity were strongly associated with sleep disturbances.

Abstract

Sleep disturbance is a critical occupational health issue among nurses, jeopardizing their well-being and patient safety. Identifying its prevalence and modifiable factors is essential for developing effective interventions.

This study aimed to determine the national prevalence of sleep disturbance and explore associated demographic, occupational, and behavioral factors among Chinese nurses.

In this nationwide cross-sectional study, we analyzed baseline data from the Nurses’ Mental Health Study (NMHS), a primary database established and maintained by the authors. A total of 132,910 nurses from 67 tertiary public hospitals in China were included between December 2023 and January 2024. Data were collected electronically via a structured questionnaire. Chi-square tests and binary logistic regression were used to identify factors associated with sleep disturbances.

The overall prevalence of sleep disturbances was 24.1%. Difficulty initiating sleep (13.3%), difficulty maintaining sleep (15.5%), and early morning awakening (15.4%) were most common, with higher rates in critical care, emergency, pediatrics, and obstetrics. Factors associated with increased odds of sleep disturbance included age (30–39 years), female sex, intermediate professional title, lower education, longer working experience, night shift work, smoking, alcohol use, and physical inactivity.

Sleep disturbance is prevalent among Chinese nurses and associated with scheduling patterns and health behaviors. To mitigate risk, healthcare organizations should optimize shift schedules, enhance support for high-risk nurses, and allocate resources to high-burden clinical departments. Nurses are also encouraged to adopt healthier lifestyles to improve sleep quality and occupational safety.

Identifier ChiCTR2300072142.

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