Research
Mixed
Pharmacological interventions including zolpidem, melatonin, and dexmedetomidine can improve postoperative sleep quality and reduce complications like delirium.
Ask your care team about sleep-promoting medications like dexmedetomidine or melatonin, especially if you are elderly or in the ICU, as they may help prevent confusion and improve recovery.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Both nonpharmacological and pharmacological measures (such as zolpidem, melatonin, and dexmedetomidine) can be used to improve postoperative sleep.
Why this rating
Supported by specific studies cited for each drug, though some are small sample sizes.
Source
Improve postoperative sleep
Xian Su et al. · Current Opinion in Anaesthesiology · 2017
DOI 10.1097/aco.0000000000000538
narrative_reviewCited 205×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Postoperative sleep disturbances, characterized by fragmentation and loss of deep/REM sleep, significantly increase the risk of postoperative delirium, cardiovascular events, and delayed recovery.Good
- Nonpharmacological interventions such as regional anesthesia, noise reduction, and use of earplugs/eye masks improve postoperative sleep quality.Good
Related findings · Mixed
- Bariatric surgery (VSG and RYGB) is the most effective and sustainable treatment for obesity, producing marked and sustained weight loss that non-surgical interventions cannot match.Strong
- Severely protein-deficient diets (2–3% energy) induce lean body mass loss and metabolic imbalance, whereas adequate protein intake (0.66 g/kg/d minimum) is a prerequisite for maintaining muscle, bone, and physiological function.Strong
- For patients with Class III obesity (BMI >39.9 kg/m2), metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) is significantly more effective than any currently approved medication, with BilioPancreatic Diversion (BPD) showing the highest estimated weight loss.Strong
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