By Healthcare Facilities Today

Patients in an average hospital room are exposed to so little light during the day that their bodies cannot adopt a normal sleep-wake cycle, a study by the Cleveland Clinic's Nursing Institute said.

The study found the lowest levels of natural light were linked to worse mood, more fatigue and more pain among patients, compared to those whose rooms with more daylight, an article on the Chicago Tribune website reported.

"Until now, no one has looked at the associations among light and outcomes such as sleep, mood and pain experienced in the hospital," said Esther Bernhofer, of the Cleveland Clinic's Nursing Institute.

To see whether light might play a role in hospital patients' healing, the study gathered data on 40 men and women at a large hospital. The patients wore a wrist device for 72 hours to measure their sleep-wake patterns and light exposure, and completed questionnaires to evaluate their mood and pain levels, the article said.

The study found that patients were exposed to low levels of light around the clock, including overnight. Like many hospital patients, the study subjects slept poorly, with frequent interruptions and an average of only about four hours of sleep per night.

Read the article.