Affiliations: Section of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA | Section of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Physiology and Biophysics, College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
Note: [] Corresponding author: Mark J. Heulitt, Physiology and Biophysics, College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Pediatric Intensivist, Medical Director Respiratory Care Services, Arkansas Children’s Hospital Director, Applied Respiratory Physiology Laboratory Arkansas Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Little Rock, AR 72202-3591, USA. Tel.: +1 501 364 1858; Fax: +1 501 364 3188; E-mail: heulittmarkj@uams.edu.
Abstract: Sleep is essential to a patient’s well-being. The importance of sleep is highlighted by the adverse effects in the wake of its absence both physically and mentally. Sleep is difficult to achieve in the intensive care unit due to noise, patient care activities, illness, and mechanical ventilation. Activities related to mechanical ventilation such as suctioning, discomfort of the essential tremor, alarms, treatments and sedation effects can all alter sleep architecture. However, mechanical ventilation itself especially as it relates to asynchrony may also play a larger role than previously thought. This paper aims to review sleep in the intensive care unit and the relationship of mechanical ventilation.
