How do noise levels in the ICU affect patients?

Most case studies show that the noise levels in hospitals are much higher than established guidelines, and the very nature of ICUs in particular make for off-the-charts excessive noise levels. How does this all affect a sleeping patient? Significantly. Here are just a few consequences highlighted by the recent study:

• Deeper delirium: the state of mind typical of those suffering through a trauma or fever and who experience restlessness, illusions, and incoherent thoughts and speech. No doubt any drugs a patient will be on can make this state worse, but so can poor sleep brought on by something as simple as too much ambient noise. Delirium not only increases a person’s length of stay in a hospital, but also the severity of their condition.

• Irregular circadian rhythms: ICU patients don’t usually keep their normal sleep-wake patterns. Their physical condition can have them sleeping on and off during the day and night. Add to that intermittent loud noise and you’ve got a recipe for more erratic sleep patterns.

• Post-traumatic stress disorder: Not all patients experience post-traumatic stress disorder after a stay in the ICU, but for those who don’t get the sleep they need to recover quickly and stave off episodes of delusional memories, the risk for post-traumatic stress disorder rises considerably.

• Lowered immune function: Just two days of sleep deprivation has been shown to impair the immune system. So imagine what this means for patients in need of their immune system the most at times like these.

• Cardiovascular and respiratory effects: Studies have shown how noises can lower the function of these critical systems, causing a speed-up of the heart and negatively dampening respiratory performance.