Reducing noise levels in hospitals crucial for patients' sleep
Story By Maiken Scott, WHYY Radio
Sleep is crucial to good health - but a good night's rest is tough to get in the place where people need it most.
Researchers at Harvard Medical school's division of sleep medicine exposed a group of healthy study participants to typical hospital noises - beeping machines, hallway chatter, toilets flushing, helicopters approaching - and measured what woke them up. Electronic sounds were the most disturbing, but other sounds disrupted sleep as well and in some instances, sped up people's heart rates.
This research confirms what complaining patients tell hospital administrators all the time and it's something nurses and doctors worry about since sleep is crucial for recovery.
Locally, hospitals are trying to tackle this issue.
(Read the full story here.)