ABSTRACT
Nightshift working has negative physical, psychological and social effects on personal life of nurses and in the long run, with subsequent health and complication. This survey was done to study the effect of sleeplessness on general health of nightshift nurses in hospitals of Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran, during 2008. In this descriptive study, 124 subjects with suitable condition were selected through a census from among 615 nightshift working nurses in hospitals of Golestan university of medical sciences. Data were collected by delivering questionnaire and it included one questionnaire of personal information and two questionnaires about effects of sleeplessness and general health [GHQ-28]. Effect of sleeplessness, in the maximum percent of nurses [55.6%] were moderate and in the minimum percent [2.4%] were low. Mean +/- SD the sleepness rate was moderate [58 +/- 9]. Also, the results of general health showed that most of them [60.6%] had favorable general health and 2.5% of subjects had unfavorable general health. There was a significant correlation between sleepness, effect and general health of nurses in addition. There was also a meningfull sleeplessness correlation between sleepness effect with age, employment history and nightschieft time table [P<0.05]. This study showed that sleepness, negatively, effect on general health of nightschieft nurses, it is suggested, there should a properly organized sleep time table for the nightchieft nurses