• Nuttapol Rittayamai, Elizabeth Wilcox, Xavier Drouot, Sangeeta Mehta, Alberto Goffi, and Laurent Brochard.
• Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
• Intensive Care Med. 2016 Apr 1; 42 (4): 531-541.

PurposeSleep is an essential physiologic process that helps to restore normal body homeostasis. Sleep disturbances have been shown to be associated with poor clinical outcomes, such as a greater risk of cardiovascular disease and increasing mortality. Critically ill patients, particularly those receiving mechanical ventilation, may be more susceptible to sleep disruption.Methods And ResultsMechanical ventilation is an important factor influencing sleep in critically ill patients as it may have positive or negative effects, depending on patient population, mode, and specific settings. Other causes of sleep disruption include the acute illness itself, the daily routine care, and the effects of medications. Improving sleep in patients admitted to an intensive care unit has the potential to improve both short- and long-term clinical outcomes. In this article we review the specific aspects of sleep in critically ill mechanically ventilated patients, including abnormal sleep patterns and loss of circadian rhythm, as well as the effects of mechanical ventilation and intravenous sedatives on sleep quality and quantity.ConclusionsWe provide recommendations for clinicians regarding optimal ventilatory settings and discuss fields for future research.

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