While often life saving, the need for admission to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) places children in a profoundly artificial environment that has the potential to alter the biological processes that defend homeostasis. All living organisms have biological rhythms that serve as their basic organizing feature. These rhythms vary widely, ranging from seconds (e.g., heartbeat) to weeks (menstrual cycle). Biological rhythms that have a 24-hour cycle are termed circadian rhythms. Of the many circadian rhythms, the sleep-wake cycle is the most evident [2]. Other biological processes that have a circadian rhythm include growth hormone, melatonin, and cortisol secretion .~Sleep is disrupted in the PICU. This disruption has been reported in studies that have used: (a) observation of sleep-wake cycles [6, 7]; (b) self-reports by children themselves, and (c) objective measures (e.g., electroencephalograph( EEG). Noise and light levels have been correlated with profound sleep disruption in the PICU . Sleep disruption is known to have a profound impact on the overall health of a child, both from a physiological and a psychological standpoint . In addition, sleep disruption has been shown to change cortisol levels, cause impaired immune responses and impair cognitive function in both children and adults . Disruption in sleep also is known to impair healing through these many complex connections with other homeostatic processes in the human body.~There is a dearth of research on improving sleep and reversing the negative effects of sleep disruption on homeostasis in critically ill children~RQ1: What is the effect of wearing earplugs in critically ill children admitted to the PICU on:~Sleep states~Physiological stability (e.g. melatonin, cortisol and immune status)~Sleep habits after discharge from the PICU (on the general pediatric unit, 2 weeks and 2 months after discharge), and~Child behavior at 2 weeks and 2 months after discharge from the PICU by parent report on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL).
Sleep is disrupted in the PICU. This disruption has been reported in studies that have used: (a) observation of sleep-wake cycles (b) self-reports by children themselves , and (c) objective measures (e.g., electroencephalograph( EEG). Noise and light levels have been correlated with profound sleep disruption in the PICU . Sleep disruption is known to have a profound impact on the overall health of a child, both from a physiological and a psychological standpoint . In addition, sleep disruption has been shown to change cortisol levels, cause impaired immune responses and impair cognitive function in both children and adults . Disruption in sleep also is known to impair healing through these many complex connections with other homeostatic processes in the human body. What is the effect of wearing earplugs in critically ill children admitted to the PICU on:~Sleep states~Physiological stability (e.g. melatonin, cortisol and immune status)~Sleep habits after discharge from the PICU (on the general pediatric unit, 2 weeks and 2 months after discharge), and~Child behavior at 2 weeks and 2 months after discharge from the PICU by parent report on the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL).