Prevalence of Sleep Disorders and Related Factors in Individuals Undergoing Hemodialysis.

Background: The quality of life of individuals undergoing hemodialysis is related to many factors, including sleep disorders.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of sleep disorders in individuals undergoing hemodialysis and to assess the effect of clinical and biochemical parameters on their sleep quality.

Method: We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive survey in multiple hemodialysis centers. Individuals were interviewed using a questionnaire for obtaining general personal information, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) for assessing sleep quality, and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) for assessing excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS).

Results: The study included 338 individuals with a median age of 55 years. Poor sleep quality (PSQ) and EDS were present in 41.4% and 6.5% of the individuals, respectively. The individuals' PSQI scores were significantly proportional to their ESS scores. Concerns about the disease and its treatment (60.7%) and poor physical conditions (35.7%) were major reported reasons for PSQ. In a logistic regression analysis, female gender, household income, ESS score, chronic heart failure, and creatinine and parathormone levels were found to be independent predictors of PSQ; household income, PSQ presence, parathormone and potassium levels, and urea reduction ratio were found to be independent predictors of EDS.

Conclusion: Sleep disorders are common in individuals undergoing hemodialysis and are related to gender, comorbid diseases, poor economic state, altered biochemical values, dialysis timing, and concerns about the disease and its treatment. Improving these individuals' quality of life through adequate psychological and financial support and early diagnosis of sleep disorders should decrease their mortality and morbidity rates.