Factors that impact on sleep in intensive care patients

This literature review shows that sleep is important for healing and survival of critical illness (Richardson et al., 2007, Straham and Brown, 2004). Sleep deprivation impinges on recovery, ability to resist infection, brings about neurological problems such as delirium, respiratory problems because it weakens upper air way muscles thus prolonging the duration of ventilation, ICU stay and complicating periods just after extubation (Friese, 2008,...