The Relationship Between Poor Sleep and Memory Impairment among Shift Nurses in China: A Cross-Sectional Study

Purpose: Many shift nurses experience poor sleep quality, and the effect on nurses' cognitive function remains unclear. The study aims to investigate sleep status and explore its association with cognitive function. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital in Fujian, China between March and September 2022. By convenience sampling method, 588 shift nurses participated in this study. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Bergen Shift Work Sleep Questionnaire (BSWSQ) were used to assess sleep quality, while the Chinese version of Ascertain Dementia-8 (AD-8) was used to evaluate cognitive function. A PSQI score <= 7 is classified as good sleep quality, and a score >7 indicates poor sleep quality. An AD-8 score >= 2 is considered indicative of memory impairment. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to explore the association between sleep status and memory impairment. Results: A total of 310 (52.6%) participants presented poor sleep quality. Among them, 52.2% of participants had day shift-related sleep problems, 45.9% had evening shift-related sleep problems, 61.9% had night shift-related sleep problems, and 15.0% reported rest-day/vacation-related sleep problems. The prevalence of poor sleep quality and each shift-related sleep problem in the memory impairment group were higher than in the normal memory group (P<0.05). P <0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that poor sleep quality (OR=2.073, 95% CI: 1.398 similar to 3.072), evening shift-related sleep problems (OR=1.707, 95% CI: 1.028 similar to 2.835), night shift- related sleep problems (OR=1.859, 95% CI:1.104 similar to 3.129), and rest-day/vacation-related sleep problems (OR=2.069, 95% CI:1.170 similar to 3.659) was significantly associated with memory impairment. Conclusion: This study highlights the prevalence of poor sleep quality among clinical nurses and identifies poor sleep quality and shift-related sleep problems (excluding day shift) as risk factors for memory impairment. Nurse managers should prioritize sleep quality and focus on cognitive function to enhance nurses' occupational health.