Does Wearing Earplugs and an Eye Mask in the ICU Actually Prevent Delirium? What the Sleep Data Shows

Here's a finding that hit me sideways because it's so low-tech it feels almost insulting: a randomized trial found that giving hospital patients earplugs, an eye mask, and a scheduled quiet period at night measurably reduced the incidence of delirium. Van Rompaey and colleagues randomized ICU patients to sleep with earplugs versus standard care and saw fewer patients develop confusion and disorientation, with the effect concentrated in the first 48 hours (see [1]). No drug. No device. Just cutting the ambient noise and light that a modern hospital dumps on a sleeping brain all night.