Pain after joint replacement ops reduces sleep and means a longer hospital stay

Pain can make it difficult for some people to get a good night’s sleep while recovering in hospital following common surgical procedures, often resulting in longer hospital stays, according to US researchers.
A total of 50 people who had total hip or knee replacement surgery were included in the study. They were on a hospital floor that has strict quiet time overnight, so were unaffected by noise, lights and excessive movement in the area. Total sleep time, sleep efficiency, pain scores and use of narcotics for pain were recorded. Results showed:
• The participants had less sleep efficiency and woke more frequently when compared to the general population
• People who reported poor sleep had higher pain scores
• Improved sleep efficiency could result in decreased length of stay in the hospital after surgery
“Sleep is very important to patients’ recovery following surgery,” says Dr Anya Miller, lead researcher. “Our results show that increased pain scores result in deceased sleep duration. So better pain control could potentially improve sleep duration for these patients.
“If we can identify factors that cause disruption in patients’ sleep such as pain, noise and interruptions in the hospital setting we can help improve sleep quality and potentially decrease adverse outcomes.”