Comparing the Efficacy of Earplugs and Eye Masks on Pain and Sleep Quality

Comparing the Efficacy of Earplugs and Eye Masks on Pain and Sleep Quality in Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit Patients: A Three-Arm Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective: To determine the superiority of earplugs and eye masks to each other and their efficacy in pain and sleep quality.

Methods: The study was a three-arm randomised controlled trial. After a baseline assessment, participants were randomly assigned in three groups. The random assignment was performed by using a computer program (Microsoft Excel 2016). Afterward, participants were categorized into three subgroups. Group 3 patients in this group did not receive any treatment to improve pain and sleep quality during the study period. Routine postoperative care was applied in the clinic (n = 25). Group 2 was applied the earplug (n = 25), whereas Group 1 was applied the eye mask (n = 24).

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Pain; Cardiac Surgery; Sleep Quality; Intensive Care Medicine
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: Control Group; Device: Earplug Group; Device: Eye mask Group

Detailed Description

Cardiovascular diseases are among the most common and leading causes of death worldwide. Surgical methods such as coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) provide successful results in this process. (1) Patients who are faced with these disturbing life-threatening experiences try to cope with many problems until the discharge process. The most common of these problems in the postoperative period is pain. Incision in the sternal region, saphenous vein grafting and the presence of chest and mediastinal tubes are reported to cause pain in patients following cardiac surgery (2,3) Pain is an inevitable condition for many patients after surgery. Inappropriate pain control leads to activation of the sympathetic nervous system and increased hormonal responses to stress. It may also lead to decreased patient satisfaction, delayed mobilization and increased risk of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary thromboembolism (2) Inadequate pain management causes sleep deprivation, exhaustion and disorientation as well as agitation, which are common in critically ill patients (4,5).It has been reported that adult patients receiving treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU)often complain of difficulty sleeping or frequent awakenings (6). Excessive noise, bright lights, frequent medical procedures, routine monitoring of vital signs, invasive devices, medications, pain, and anxiety in the ICU contribute to a reduction in sleep quality (7,8). Many systematic reviews provide evidence that earplugs and eye masks impact sleep quality and the incidence of delirium. However, the literature highlights a lack of high-quality studies to confirm these findings (6,14). It was also determined that there were studies to determine the effect of eyemask and earplugs on sleep and pain level (10,11,12), however, there are no studies examining the superiority of earplugs or eye masks over each other. For this reason, the research was carried out to determine the superiority of earplugs and eye masks to each other.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 75
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey
  • Piraziz
    • Giresun, Piraziz, Turkey, 28000
      • Giresun Üniversitesi

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Aged 18 and older,
• Having undergone first and elective cardiac surgery, literate, and having no verbal communication skills.
• The participants who stayed in the ICU for 48 hours after surgery, had an ASA (American Society of Anesthesiologists) Score of I or II, and had no visual or audial problems were also included in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Exclusion criteria for the study participants were refusing to use an eye mask or earplug, having early complications or re-surgery history, having reintubation after extubation, having any intra-aortic balloon pump or cardiac pacemaker, and taking inotropic drugs in the ICU.
• Patients refusing to use an eye mask or earplugs were also excluded from the study. Additionally, patients who had a history of chronic pain, alcohol or drug dependency, psychiatric disease, chronic sleep disorders, anxiolytic or sleeping medication use, and claustrophobia.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Control Group	Device: Control Group; Patients in this group did not receive any treatment to improve pain and sleep quality during the study period. Routine postoperative care was applied in the clinic.
Experimental: Earplug Group; Patients who met the inclusion criteria were fitted with standard earplug of the same brand by the researcher at night. The researcher applied the earplug from 01:00 AM to 05:00 AM. The reason for this is that the procedures performed on the patients within the clinical routine ended at 01:00 AM and the patients' uninterrupted sleep hours coincided with these hours.	Device: Earplug Group; Patients who met the inclusion criteria were fitted with standard earplug of the same brand by the researcher at night. The researcher applied the earplug from 01:00 AM to 05:00 AM. The reason for this is that the procedures performed on the patients within the clinical routine ended at 01:00 AM and the patients' uninterrupted sleep hours coincided with these hours.
Experimental: Eye mask Group; Patients who met the inclusion criteria were fitted with standard eye masks of the same brand by the researcher at night. The researcher applied the eye mask from 01:00 AM to 05:00 AM. The reason for this is that the procedures performed on the patients within the clinical routine ended at 01:00 AM and the patients' uninterrupted sleep hours coincided with these hours.	Device: Eye mask Group; Patients who met the inclusion criteria were fitted with standard eye masks of the same brand by the researcher at night. The researcher applied the eye mask from 01:00 AM to 05:00 AM. The reason for this is that the procedures performed on the patients within the clinical routine ended at 01:00 AM and the patients' uninterrupted sleep hours coincided with these hours.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Postoperative sleep quality	Sleep quality was assessed using the Richard Campbell Sleep Questionnaire.	6 month
Postoperative pain severty	Pain was assessed using the Visual Analyses Scale.	6 month

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Giresun University

Publications and helpful links

Helpful Links

• Related Info
• Related Info

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 1, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 1, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): January 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 22, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 28, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): August 1, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): August 1, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 28, 2025
• Last Verified: July 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Cardiac surgery, earplug, eye-mask, intensive care unit
• Other Study ID Numbers: Giresun Üniversitesi

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No