Objective To investigate the relationship between sleep quality and mental health in the nurses.MethodsThree groups subjects, 53 students of nursing college, 57 advanced students receiving clinical training and 61 clinical nurses, were investigated with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Self Checklist-90 (SCL-90). The standard of having sleep problem was PSQI scores ≥8.ResultsThere were 20.05% of subjects having sleep problem. The total score of PSQI was significantly different among three groups ( P<0.001), but total score of SCL-90 of three groups was not different. The total score of PSQI was correlated positively with the total score of SCL-90.ConclusionSleep quality and mental health are affected each other, and sleep quality is declining gradually from students in nursing college to clinical nurses, but there aren't obvious changes in mental status.