Why don't nhs night staff want you to sleep?

[ICaughtTonsillitisFromAFriendsKid]

Sleep is a great healer.
So why is everything done to keep ward patients awake all night? (Well it feels that way)

In the day the wonderful staff are very kind, but overnight, why no whispering, at all? Not even stage whispering? I've just staggered out of bed trying not to rip out my cathetera and canula to pull the bible sheet curtain round a bit, but everyone else is left with curtains pushed back to the walls.

Everyone is so kind and happy to help, I don't even want to say anything, but I'm just exhausted, as are all of these very poorly ladies.

It seems the doctors are not too bad at whispering, I must concede.

i was on the surgical assessment ward, people being admitted at all times, they did provide ear plugs though

🙄 hate this sniffy attitude, that we must be so grateful for anything we get from the NHS because it's so sacred and we are such selfish pricks for daring to wish for a better standard of care, including a bit of courtesy when it comes to trying to rest.

The woman next to me is extremely loud. I'm frightened of her. She seems aggressive

I experienced the same when I had to stay on the shared maternity ward for a couple of days, after giving birth to dd.
I think I managed about 2 hours sleep altogether - not exaggerating, I was delirious with lack of sleep.
The midwives on night duty, although lovely , were so loud. I could here them talking & laughing in the next room, they would be in and out, doors banging, they kept putting the main lights on, then off again, then on. One of those bloody lights was right outside my curtain directly above , I put a blanket over my eyes as it was so bright.

I was so relieved when Dd and I were moved to a private room. We both finally got some peace and quiet & slept!

Don't patients wear ID wrist bands any more?

Had a few extremely distressed dementia patients.that was horrific.
Then a mrsa passed through and people were being very ill,moved,dying.
Staff not quiet at all mini party it seemed.
Why oh why do they get pleasure out of that morning lights on call.
Obs all night.
Feed changed.
Bag blocked.
Tube needed flushing
My god I've had some unrest on wards.
It's horrible.
I hate hospitals more than anything.
It's slightly passed to genuine fear now.
I sympathise op

Aggressive or ill maybe?that's not sarcastic

My experience in hospital with my first child was awful.
I had a home birth with my second .

@kateandme should they have not flushed the tube? Not done obs? Not changed the bag? No obs then?

Just leave people to get septic and die ?

In my experience it isn’t I’m afraid. I’ve had surgery privately, at one my room backed onto what must have been a staff room, I was kept awake every single night be talking, shouting, laughing and the rumbles of surround sound.

It is completely unacceptable that they should be discussing their personal life through the night at normal speaking volume.

Im currently writing my nursing dissertation on promoting sleep in an acute setting as I hate waking patients, but struggling to find ways to improve it. Between obs, admissions, medications, dementia patients, deteriorating patients, post surgical patients needing more obs than normal, pre surgical patients being nil by mouth on sliding scales and requiring hourly blood sugar checks, patients buzzing for analgesia, patients buzzing for assistance to the toilet, 2 am antibiotics 6 am antibiotics, fluids needing replacing, pumps bleeping continuously, bloods needing to be done before 6 am and having everyone need them. Im really struggling for a way to improve care from a nursing angle. The ward I work on we always turn down lights as soon as we can, we never have radio on at night, we try to talk as quietly as we can, but its such a busy emergency surgery ward with so many varying patients with different needs, how we can improve sleep for others in the bays, I'm at an absolute loss.

You poor thing OP. I completely agree - YANBU. My DS has had several overnights on childrens’ wards as a toddler and baby and quite often the overhead main lights are left on. And otherwise as you say, staff constantly
in and out, not being quiet at all.

@maiafawnly it's not possible. People want complete silence and darkness to sleep in. It's not possible to provide that on a ward where people deteriorate etc.

I had an patient call PALS because we were very loud doing cpr on another patient during the night and she couldn't sleep. Then she was upset that no one got her some water (it was full just not cold) because we were doing said CPR.

There is no explaining to these people.

I was recently visiting an ill family member with my sister. Late at night, acute oncology, surrounded by very very sick people trying to sleep (we were allowed in late as it was end of life). My sister was making an absolute racket talking loudly on phone etc and eventually I gently shushed her. She looked totally surprised and said “you don’t have to be quiet in a hospital!”. My sister is a nurse. She then admitted she sees no difference between day and night as she’s so used to night shift (and has never been an inpatient herself).

Then leave , if your illness to be in hospital is not outweighing your attitude then leave.

people are admitted at all times of the day and night. Get a grip and be thank full you get free care and treatment.

depending on your level of illness and care you will be checked on hourly. Be great full you managed to get a bed

I will never work on a ward again. It's an absolute nightmare. Trying to do all the nursing tasks you have to do without waking up the patient.

I still need to physically ask the patient even if they're wearing a wristband to inform who they are (trust policy) I have to do obs on post surgical patients if someone deteriorated because I let them sleep they wouldn't not try and sue me because I didn't do my job properly. I wouldn't expect them to be happy that I let their lives one sleep and now they're dead!

Magic pills 🥰

@BerthaBetty you can't just prescribe patients sleeping pills because it's loud in hospital, they interact with lots of drugs and it's precluded with lots of conditions.

Drs won't just give the whole ward zopiclone because Mary in bed 2 is sundowning

My DH has been in hospital for a few months and he has complained (to me) about lack of sleep aswell
Of course observations are necessary but no need to turn lights on / slam doors / forget equipment so having to come in twice (door slamming each time!)
But it depends on the person on the night shift so at handover he can tell how he will sleep!

@HuffleWoof im deeply regretting my dissertation topic right now. Its just impossible to promote sleep and complete all the tasks necessary through the night. I feel for the patients trying to sleep, I really do, but nights on a lot of wards are no different to days and you cant do it in dark silence, unfortunately.

I remember as a student at handover the night shift trying to do cpr on someone where rigour Mortis had started to set in!

When I was in hospital recovering from major surgery they would actually wake me up during the night - to take a sleeping pill!’ Night time in hospitals is the worst.

Oh I hear ya! 2 nights post op in an ENT word and I was on my knees from the lack of sleep rather than the surgery!! Also, if you’re going to wake me up and put all the lights on at 6am then at least have the decency to provide breakfast and not make me wait another hangry 2 hours! I’ve since had a couple of stays in a private hospital and took ear plugs and an eye mask and slept better. As I had my own room it also meant I could have the windows open so I wasn’t roasting alive. The nurses kept coming in and asking if I had a temperature!

Could patients be grouped in side wards by their treatment/obs requirements? So one group need checked hourly but another group every four hours sort of thing?