The present paper provides a new, scientifically based theoretical generalization. It solves the actual task of determining the influence of sleep quality indicators on the health status of nurses in therapeutic and surgical departments who do shift work by studying the level of blood pressure, dispositional optimism and their relationships with sleep quality. For the first time in Ukraine, the determinants of health among nurses during shift work were investigated, which include poor sleep quality negatively affected by the duration of shift work and the frequency of night shifts during the month; BP growth affected by the duration of shift work, the frequency of night shifts during the month, marital status (married, divorced) and the presence of children; low optimism (high pessimism) in therapeutic and surgical nurses. The basis of sleep disturbances in nurses of different departments (night awakenings, problems falling asleep due to coughing and snoring, feeling hot, feeling pain, dreaming, and feeling cold) was identified, which statistically significantly depended on the age and work schedule. A probable relationship was established in the general population between the frequency of problems with falling asleep and blood pressure, which was characterized by an increase in the frequency of problems with falling asleep in nurses having arterial hypertension. A comparative assessment of sleep quality disorders and blood pressure concerning the nurse’s work profile was carried out. The systolic blood pressure level is probably higher in the nurses of the therapeutic departments who do shift work and have poor sleep quality compared to such values in the nurses from surgical departments. An analysis of the frequency of sleep problems indicated a likely relationship between blood pressure levels and sleep problems, sleep efficiency, and middle-of-the-night or early-morning awakenings in therapeutic nurses. In contrast, no such relationship was found in surgical nurses. Dispositional optimism was investigated, and a low level of optimism was established in 40 % of therapeutic nurses and 35 % of surgical nurses; the therapeutic nurses are negatively affected by age, duration of shift work and its frequency, as well as the number of children, while the surgical nurses are negatively affected by age and duration of shift work. The higher the indicator of dispositional optimism, the more satisfied the nurses are with the job. The relationship between sleep quality, blood pressure level and dispositional optimism was shown, which was characterized by a three-dimensional association: poor sleep quality was associated with an increase in blood pressure and a predominance of dispositional pessimism, while an increase of systolic and diastolic blood pressure was connected with a decrease of the level of optimism.
