The Sleepless Watch: Perceived Sleep Quality of Nurses Working in High‐Intensity Settings

ABSTRACT Background Poor sleep quality is a global health concern among nurses, particularly in high‐intensity settings. Unpredictable workloads, extended shifts and high patient acuity compromise sleep quality, negatively affecting nurses' well‐being and patient outcomes. Aim To describe the perceived sleep quality of nurses working in high‐intensity settings. Study Design A qualitative descriptive design was used. Purposive sampling was used to select participants who met the inclusion criteria. Data were collected through three semi‐structured focus group discussions with 21 nurses working in high‐intensity units of an academic hospital in Gauteng, South Africa. Thematic analysis was used to analyse data manually, and the COREQ guidelines were followed. Findings Three major themes emerged: barriers to quality sleep, consequences of poor sleep and coping mechanisms. Participants described environmental, occupational, organisational and domestic barriers to quality sleep, including community noise, long working hours, staff shortages, inadequate resources and family responsibilities. Poor sleep was associated with emotional exhaustion, impaired concentration and perceived patient safety risks. Participants reported using pharmacological and non‐pharmacological strategies to manage fatigue and sleep difficulties. Conclusions This study highlights that sleep disruption among nurses working in high‐intensity settings is shaped by environmental, occupational, organisational, community and family‐related factors. Poor sleep was perceived to be associated with emotional exhaustion, impaired concentration, patient safety concerns and reliance on adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies to manage fatigue and insomnia. These findings suggest that sleep disruption is a systemic issue requiring organisational and context‐sensitive interventions to improve nurses' well‐being and patient care outcomes. Relevance to Clinical Practice Improving nurses' well‐being and patient safety requires interventions that address the organisational, environmental and social contributors to sleep disruption. Supportive practice environments, adequate staffing, fatigue management initiatives and psychosocial support may improve sleep quality, reduce emotional exhaustion and clinical errors and enhance nurse well‐being and patient care outcomes.