Nocturnal sleep architecture disturbances in early methadone treatment patients

The subjective and objective sleep patterns of patients with opioid dependence have been previously reported, but the sleep characteristics of patients in early methadone treatment, especially the objective sleep patterns, remain largely unexamined. This study was designed to explore the nocturnal sleep structure of patients on early methadone treatment. Twenty male methadone treatment (MT) patients and 20 male age- and body mass index-matched controls were assessed with overnight limited polysomnography. Subjective sleep was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). Compared with healthy controls, MT patients had lower sleep efficiency, shorter total sleep time, more awakenings and shorter slow wave sleep (SWS). The PSQI and ESS scores in MT patients were significantly higher than in the controls. ESS scores of the patients were significantly associated with the SWS. The findings indicate that patients in early MT have poor sleep quality and abnormal sleep architecture.