In 1944 Ludwig Guttmann went into the hospital at night to see how nurses were preventing pressure ulcers. After he explained the importance of repositioning to the nurses, the problem dissipated but still teams of three orderlies and a nurse repositioned patients 24 hours a day to prevent pressure ulcers. There was no mention of sleep deprivation caused by repositioning.

References

Frankel, H. L (2012). The Sir Ludwig Guttmann Lecture 2012: the contribution of Stoke Mandeville Hospital to spinal cord injuries. Spinal Cord, 50(11), 790-796. doi:10.1038/sc.2012.109