Background:

Sleep is crucial to maintaining good mental and physical health, it helps to repair and restore our brain and body. Sleep affects our language abilities, ability to concentrate, reading comprehension and the brain's ability to summarize what we hear. If our sleep is neglected, it compromises our performance, our mood and our interpersonal relationships. Sleep deprivation can lead to impaired decision-making capacity and increased risk-taking. This may cause the work performance to deteriorate.

Aim:The aim of this study was to investigate sleep deprivation by nurses and its impact on work capacity.

Method:A literature review based on an analysis of quantitative research.

Results:The result showed that sleep deprivation often resulted in the nurses’ having difficulty staying awake during the daytime, and involuntary sleep episodes during working hours occurred. Lack of sleep had a negative effect on nurses' job performance, which often resulted in accidents and medical injuries related to decreased concentration and attention. Sleep deprivation was associated with the presence of depression and anxiety. Sleep deprivation also resulted in increased absenteeism, more health care visits, and somatic symptoms.

Conclusion/Clinical significance: Nurse’s sleep should be fulfilled, as it is an essential basic need. Sleep deprivation can affect the nurse negatively and consequently patient safety. Since sleep deprivation can be equated with intoxication, the authors consider that it is crucial to recognize and discourage sleep deprivation to prevent healthcare-associated injuries