Sleep in the ICU

Nobody in the ICU sleeps. As I walk through the hallways at 2 in the morning, nurses are bustling around getting medications, respiratory therapists administer nebulizers, the front desk phone rings with new admissions. My residents are hard at work checking labs, putting in lines, writing notes. My phone never stops ringing and I am on my feet all day, from one end of the hospital to the other. But most importantly, our patients can't get much rest. With alarms ringing, X-rays machines rolling around, vital sign checks, it's no surprise that nobody sleeps in the unit. Even the family member with a chair pulled up, blanket wrapped around the neck awakes anxiously with every little sound.