© 2024 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY · WNPR
WPKT · WRLI-FM · WEDW-FM · Public Files Contact
ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Cancer Answers is hosted by Dr. Anees Chagpar, Associate Professor of Surgical Oncology and Director of The Breast Center at Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven Hospital, and Dr. Francine Foss, Professor of Medical Oncology. The show features a guest cancer specialist who will share the most recent advances in cancer therapy and respond to listeners questions. Myths, facts and advances in cancer diagnosis and treatment are discussed, with a different focus eachweek. Nationally acclaimed specialists in various types of cancer research, diagnosis, and treatment discuss common misconceptions about the disease and respond to questions from the community.Listeners can submit questions to be answered on the program at canceranswers@yale.edu or by leaving a message at (888) 234-4YCC. As a resource, archived programs from 2006 through the present are available in both audio and written versions on the Yale Cancer Center website.

For A Good Snooze, Take One Melatonin, Add Eye Mask And Earplugs

It's hard to sleep when the light's on and the monitor's beeping.
Roderick Chen
/
Getty Images
It's hard to sleep when the light's on and the monitor's beeping.

Hospitals are one of the worst places to try to get a good night's sleep, just when you need it the most. And though many have tried to muffle the noise of beeping monitors and clattering carts, the noise remains a big problem for many patients.

But what if we looked at a night in the hospital as a long overseas flight? As you settle in, they hand out eye masks and earplugs. And you cleverly brought along melatonin, the sleep-regulating hormone sold at drugstores everywhere.

Researchers in China tested just that, and found that eye masks, earplugs and melatonin all helped. But melatonin helped the most.

They tested them by creating a fake intensive care unit with noise and lights, and getting 40 healthy adults to sleep in it. With the noise and lights off, their melatonin levels rose sharply until about 4 am, which is typical of a normal sleep cycle. They snoozed happily.

But with the noise and lights on, melatonin levels tanked. The people said they slept poorly and were anxious.

OK, on with the eye mask. The volunteers were given their choice of eye masks and earplugs and hit the hay. They fell asleep faster, were less likely to wake up, and arose saying they slept better and were less anxious.

Sounds like a win. But many people didn't like the earplugs, saying they were uncomfortable or claustrophobic. And the earplugs didn't do enough to muffle sounds.

Now for the melatonin. The volunteers took 1 mg at bedtime and said that did the best job of improving sleep quality and reducing anxiety. They also woke up less often during the night. And the melatonin level in their blood was much higher than while wearing eye masks or earplugs.

The researchers also tested a placebo pill, but it improved sleep only slightly.

People in an intensive care unit are very ill, the researchers note, and eye masks and earplugs might not be enough to restore normal biological sleep patterns. The study was published Thursday in the journal Critical Care.

And melatonin isn't risk free. It isn't recommendedfor people with high blood pressure or depression. And it can increase immune function, which can be problematic for people with autoimmune diseases or transplants.

But it would be nice if hospitals handed out eye masks and earplugs along with those no-slip socks, wouldn't it?

Now all we need is for someone to invent cheap comfy earplugs that banish the commotion.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Stand up for civility

This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Public’s Members — listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. As a community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years.

Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are building a better—and more civil—Connecticut to live, work, and play.

Related Content