Lack Of Sleep Lowers Empathy Among Healthcare Workers

Of course, it sort of makes sense that a lack of sleep would make you a bit grumpy. But could a lack of sleep make you lacking in empathy?

New findings presented at the 29th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC found that subjects with an Insomnia Severity Index ISI of greater than 8 scored significantly higher across all four subscales of empathy.

"Insomnia affects empathy in health care workers which can lead to adverse clinical outcomes," said lead author Venkatesh Basappa Krishnamurthy, MD, assistant professor, Sleep Research and Treatment Center, department of psychiatry, Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, Pa, said in a news release.

The study consisted of 97 subjects, not limited to physicians, nurses, residents, nurses, nurse assistants, pharmacists, radiology technicians and lab technicians recruited from the Henry Ford Health System. Empathy was measured via the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) via four subscales, including perspective-taking, fantasy, empathic concern and personal distress.

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