Sleep Quality Among Patients with Myocardial Infarction

Abstract

Background: Good sleep is vital for a healthy heart. Studies showed that short sleep duration contributes to the development of myocardial infarction (MI). ST-segment elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI) in comparison to non-ST-segment elevated myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) is considered a dangerous health condition. Sleep qualities among patients with NSTEMI and those with STEMI are less clear in the available literature. So, the author undertook this study. Objective: To assess and compare the sleep quality among patients with STEMI and those with NSTEMI in cardiology units of a tertiary care hospital, Chandigarh. Methodology: The research design was descriptive and the approach used was the quantitative approach. A total of 100 patients were chosen by using the consecutive sampling technique. The interview technique was used to collect data with the help of the interview schedule comprised of socio-demographic profile sheets, clinical profile sheets and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (to assess the sleep quality). Results: The data revealed that more than 76% of patients were diagnosed with STEMI, whereas less than 24% of patients were diagnosed with NSTEMI. A significantly higher percentage of patients suffering from NSTEMI (40%) reported very good subjective sleep quality than those suffering from STEMI (12%) ( p < 0.05). However, no statistically significant difference was seen in the sleep quality and sleep duration between patients with NSTEMI and those with STEMI as assessed by the Global Sleep Quality Index ( p > 0.05). Conclusion: Each patient, irrespective of their type of MI, reported sleep difficulty. Patients with NSTEMI showed comparatively better sleep quality and sleep duration than those with STEMI. More efforts are required to improve the sleep qualities of patients with both NSTEMI and STEMI for the prevention of secondary cardiovascular events.