The Hospital Is No Place for a Good Night's Rest

Noise levels were high and daytime light levels were low in both intensive care unit and non-ICU settings.

The World Health Organization's guidelines on community noise levels recommend that background noise levels in hospitals average <35 decibels (dB; similar to a typical library) during the day and <30 dB at night, with nighttime noise peaks ≤40 dB (similar to normal conversation). Prior research, mostly from intensive care unit (ICU) settings, indicates that few hospitals comply with these standards despite the known association between poor sleep and delirium. Are non-ICU settings any better?

In this observational study from a California hospital, investigators recorded ambient sound and light levels in ICU and non-ICU patient rooms for 24 to 72 hours, including sound level changes (SLCs; defined as the difference between background noise an…

Reviewing Author

Andrew S. Parsons, MD, MPH

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardNEJM Healer Advisory Group; Aquifer Clinical Excellence; NBME Clinical Reasoning

Grant/Research SupportSouthern Group on Educational Affairs (SGEA)

Editorial BoardsDiagnosis

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesUndergraduate Medical Education (UME) Section Chair, Southern Group on Educational Affairs (SGEA); Chair of Early Career Physicians, American College of Physicians (ACP), Virginia Chapter