Effects of programs on sleep improvement in shift-work nurses: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Nurses often suffer from poor sleep health owing to irregular shift work. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to understand the characteristics and contents of studies on sleep health interventions and their effects.

Materials And Methods: A systematic literature search was performed using PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, CINAHL, and PsychINFO to identify studies that assessed nurses’ sleep health. A total of 38 studies were included in the final review, with 12 included for the meta-analysis using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis version 4.0.

Results: Sleep interventions were categorized light therapy, shift schedule modification, naps, exercise, aromatherapy, education, ambient temperature, cognitive behavioral therapy, spiritual relaxation therapy, transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation, and multicomponent interventions. 12 light therapy were included in the meta-analysis. According to the meta-analysis, light therapy—the most frequently studied intervention—showed statistically significant positive effects on various aspects of sleep health, including reduced sleepiness, improved sleep efficiency, and enhanced sleep satisfaction, thereby contributing to the overall well-being of shift-working nurses.

Conclusions: Light therapy effectively improved sleep health. Given the demanding and irregular schedules of nurses working shifts, future research should prioritize high-quality randomized controlled trials, personalized intervention strategies, and objective sleep assessments to strengthen the evidence base. Healthcare organizations should also consider implementing structured and feasible interventions that balance patient safety with nurses’ well-being.

Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12912-025-03813-3.