People who sleep poorly in the month before an operation are more likely to experience mental confusion.
- Present in 15% of people who have had surgery, postoperative delirium is an alteration in mental functions that can lead to confusion.
- Patients who have poor quality sleep before having surgery are 39.66% more likely to suffer from it.
- According to the researchers, doctors should let them know that it is important to sleep well before surgery to protect their brains and recover better.
It is a common complication of major surgeries. Postoperative delirium, occurring in 15% of adults who have undergone surgery, is an alteration in mental functions that can lead to confusion. In some patients with severe pain, such as hip fracture, and the elderly, the incidence may be even higher. Other factors, such as stress and anxiety, may also contribute to the risk of acute and fluctuating changes in mental status.
150 patients undergoing general anesthesia evaluated their sleep the day before the operation
A new studythe results of which were presented during the Anesthesiology Annual Congress 2024revealed another cause of postoperative delirium: poor quality sleep. To reach this conclusion, researchers from the University of Health Sciences in Konya (Turkey) recruited 150 people who had undergone general anesthesia for non-cardiac surgical procedures, mainly abdominal and gynecological, lasting more than two hours.
The day before surgery, the team asked patients to rate their sleep quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), which assesses sleep duration, disturbances, effectiveness and overall quality, time to fall asleep, daytime dysfunction due to sleepiness, and use of sleeping pills. Scores for each category range from 0 (no difficulty) to 3 (severe difficulty), with total scores ranging from 0 to 21. According to the authors, a score of 5 or more indicates poor sleep.
After surgery, postoperative delirium was assessed using an intensive care unit confusion assessment method and a three-minute diagnostic confusion assessment technique. They checked participants’ hospital records for three days after surgery to detect any postoperative delirium.
Postoperative delirium: 39.66% higher risk in adults sleeping poorly
According to the results, 44 volunteers slept poorly and 11 of them (25%) suffered from postoperative delirium. The data also revealed that 106 patients slept well and 19 of them (17.9%) experienced mental confusion. Comparing all adults who suffered from postoperative delirium, the rate was 39.66% higher among those who slept poorly than among people who had a good night’s sleep.
“People may not sleep well because they are nervous just before surgery, but it’s really important to get the best sleep possible, especially for people aged over 65, who are at greater risk of risk of postoperative delirium. Good quality sleep before surgery is crucial for the recovery period. said Faegheh Miryousefiata, who participated in the work.
How to prevent postoperative delirium?
Therefore, the researchers believe that doctors should make it their mission to let patients know that it is important to sleep well before surgery to protect their brain and to give them some tips to improve the quality of their sleep in general. In detail, health professionals should recommend that they:
- Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day
- Create a bedtime ritual, such as reading a book or taking a warm bath
- Keep the bedroom cool, dark and quiet
- Avoiding phones, tablets and computers at least one hour before bed
- Stay active during the day, but don’t exercise too close to bedtime
- Use stress management techniques, such as mindfulness or deep breathing
