Healing Through Sleep: The Need for Hospital Sleep Medicine in Korea

Adequate sleep is critical for patient healing, immune function, and overall physical and mental well-being.However, many hospitals in Korea have yet to fully recognize its significance in inpatient care.Consequently, a significant portion of hospitalized patients experience inadequate sleep.One study found that 70% of patients suffer from sleep disturbances [1].Nearly half of these individuals had pre-existing insomnia that deteriorated further during their hospital stay, leading to decreased sleep duration, reduced sleep efficiency, prolonged hospital stays, and an increased risk of readmission or emergency visits within 30 days of discharge [2].In Korean hospitals, patients' sleep is often disrupted by nighttime activities, noise, and light, which hinders recovery.Although single-occupancy rooms are ideal for reducing noise and light disturbances, they are cost-prohibitive for many hospitals, leading to widespread use of multi-occupancy rooms where noise and interruptions are common.Despite the clear connection between sleep and recovery, sleep management is frequently omitted from hospital care protocols.Healthcare professionals often neglect sleep health, and hospital policies that emphasize efficiency-such as shared rooms and strict work protocols-exacerbate the issue.Shared patient rooms significantly contribute to sleep insufficiency in Korean hospitals by exposing patients to noise, light, and disturbances from others.Noise, in particular, induces cardiovascular stress, hearing impairment, and even immune suppression, raising serious concerns for elderly patients and those with existing sleep disorders [3].The emerging field of hospital sleep medicine acknowledges the role of sleep in patient outcomes and strives to systematically address these concerns.It is imperative for hospitals to implement a sleep-focused care model to enhance patient recovery.Although nursing interventions-such as managing noise and light, and providing earplugs and sleep masksare beneficial, they often fall short due to various factors, including environmental conditions, patient anxiety, pain, and illness severity, which all influence sleep quality [4].To effectively improve sleep quality, hospitals must implement systemic changes such as soundproofing wards, adjusting lighting to align with circadian rhythms, modifying work processes, and reducing unnecessary nighttime interventions.While these adaptations may require substantial financial investment, the potential benefits-improved recovery rates, fewer readmissions, and increased patient satisfaction-could justify the costs.To implement a sleep-centered care model within financial and logistical constraints, hospitals can prioritize cost-effective interventions, such as providing earplugs, eye masks, and establishing designated quiet hours to promote patient rest.Selective soundproofing in high-priority areas like intensive care units (ICUs) and the use of adjustable LED lighting to support circadian rhythms can offer impactful yet budget-friendly improvements.Pilot programs can further validate these strategies, generating evidence for the gradual expansion of sleep-centered care throughout the hospital.Nonetheless, the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of these interventions warrant further investigation, especially in financially constrained hospitals.