The Relationship between Sleep Quality and General Health of Nurses in Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences in 2012

Nurses are among the people who are exposed to insomnia and irregular sleep-wake patterns; the reduced quantity and quality of sleep can have negative effects on their performance. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between sleep quality and general health of nurses in Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences in 2012. This cross-sectional study was performed on 388 nurses working in Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences. The collected data included demographic questionnaire، general health questionnaires (General Health Questionnaire -28) and sleep quality questionnaire (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index). Logistic regression was used to assess the general health، quality of sleep and their relationships. The results of this study showed that the quality of sleep of nurses declined with: increase in age (p=0. 048); being female (p=0. 002); and increase in the number of night shifts (p=0. 015). The results showed a statistically significant relationship between sleep quality and general health (p=0. 00007). General health of nurses also declined with: being female (p=0. 048) and increase in the number of night shifts (p=0. 023). Four subscales of public health (Physical، Social، Anxiety، and Depression) were also investigated. Fifty three point seven precent of nurses experienced high anxiety; among the four subscales، anxiety was the most susceptible on other factors and became higher with: increase in the number of night shifts (p=0. 023); reduced sleep quality (p=0. 00001); and being female (p=0. 037). Attention to individual and occupational factors such as age، sex، marital status and number of night shifts can improve sleep quality and general health in nurses and ultimately promote the quality of care in patients.