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Abstract
Nurses often work shifts and long hours, which can disrupt sleep and lead to fatigue. Acute fatigue may resolve with rest, but poor recovery can cause chronic fatigue. This study described nurse fatigue, examined its link to executive function (EF), and assessed fatigue’s unique impact after controlling for sleep, exercise, and mental health. Findings show sleep quality, fatigue duration, and recovery strongly relate to fatigue. Chronic fatigue and recovery were linked to two EF measures; acute fatigue to one. Fatigue explained 5.5% of EF variance, and 30% of nurses showed impaired EF. More research is needed to protect patient safety.