The effect of eye mask on sleep quality in patients of coronary care unit O efeito da mascara de olhos na qualidade de sono em pacientes em uma unidade coronariana

Objectives: Patients in coronary care unit (CCU) are at risk of sleep deprivation. This study investigated effects of eye mask on sleep quality in patients of CCU in Southeast of Iran by a cross-over design. Methods: Using Verran and Snyder-Halpern Sleep Scale (VSH Sleep Scale), quality sleep of 60 patients with and without usage of eye mask were evaluated. This tool consists of 16 items that includes three main sleep sub scales: disturbance, effectiveness, and supplementation. Results: In total, 34, 22 and 4 out of 60 patients were admitted to CCU due to myocardial infarction (MI), chest pain and angina pectoris, respectively. Mean time of patients' nocturnal sleep was 6.6 ± 1.1 hours. Using eye mask have statistically significant increased the quality of sleep in subscales disturbance and effectiveness (p < 0.05). Conclusion: In general, the use of eye mask is an easy and cheap method to improve the quality of sleep in CCU patients