Earplug appeal for patients on noisy wards
Intensive care patients should be given earplugs and eye masks so they can get a good night's sleep, say researchers.
Noise from hospital machines and members of staff can delay people getting better and has been linked to longer periods on ventilators. But giving people ear plugs and eye masks mean they enjoy better sleep and are less likely to wake in the night.
Levels of the sleep hormone melatonin also increase when the items are worn. People feel better about their quality of sleep and are less aware of their surroundings than before.
The study on 14 healthy people was carried out at Fujian Medical University in China and published in the journal Critical Care today.