Evening work, sleep quality and illness of nursing workers

Objective: To analyze factors associated with sleep quality and illness in nursing workers who work in the night shift. Methods: Cross-sectional and correlational study carried out in a teaching hospital with a representative sample of nursing workers who work at night. For data collection, we used a socio-occupational questionnaire, the Work-Related Damage Assessment Scale and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. For data analysis, we used the Chi-square test and Spearman correlation, with significance level of 5%. Results: A total of 139 workers participated in the study, with a predominance of physical illness and poor sleep quality. An association was identified between sleep quality, gender and physical damage variables. Physical illness was associated with gender, physical activity, work accidents and work leave. There was a statistical difference between psychological illness and the variables gender, health treatment, use of medication and physical activity. Sleep quality correlated with physical and psychological damage. Conclusion: The identified factors are useful for planning health actions in order to promote the health of nursing workers who work the night shift.