Better sleep quality and less daytime symptoms in patients on evening hemodialysis: a questionnaire-based study

The aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence of sleep disorders in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), and to assess the effect of dialysis schedule on sleep quality and the presence of daytime symptoms. We prospectively selected 150 long-term hemodialysis (HD) patients in three groups (morning, afternoon, and evening dialysis) and gave them a sleep questionnaire, the Epworth sleepiness scale and the Pittsburgh sleep quality index. Snoring was the most common complaint (56%), followed by insomnia (38%) and restless legs syndrome (22.7%). The evening dialysis group experienced more sleep time in bed (P = 0.02), required less hypnotic medication (P = 0.049), had fewer daytime symptoms (P < 0.01), and experienced less daytime sleepiness (P = 0.034). Our study confirms the high prevalence of sleep disorders in ESRD patients, and indicates a beneficial effect of evening HD on sleep quality and reduction of daytime symptoms.