In the context of an aging population, the incidence of postoperative sleep disturbances (PSD) has been gradually increasing in recent years. PSD is a short-term insomnia characterized by difficulty in falling asleep, sleep maintenance disorders, early awakening, decreased sleep quality and total sleep time, and is accompanied by daytime dysfunction. PSD is associated with postoperative complications such as postoperative pain sensitization, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events, metabolic disorders, immune suppression, and cognitive dysfunction, which seriously affects patients' postoperative recovery and quality of life. With the theory of “accelerated surgical recovery”, the problem of PSD deserves further attention. Therefore, this paper summarizes the risk factors, assessment methods and preventive measures of PSD to provide guidance for reducing the occurrence of PSD and improving the prognosis of patients.