[Sleep quality in women with chronic tension type headache: an observational study]

To investigate sleep quality parameters and their correlations with clinical characteristics in chronic tension type headache (CTTH).

One hundred and sixty-one women with CTTH were enrolled. Sleep quality and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index components, headache frequency (HF), headache duration (HD), headache intensity (HI), pericranial muscle tenderness (PMT), widespread pain index (WPI), anxiety and depression were evaluated.

The prevalence of poor sleep quality (PSQI total score >5) was 94%. PSQI total score was significantly correlated (p<0.001) with HF (r=0.39), HI (r=0.36), PMT (r=0.32), WPI (r=0.52), and depression (r=0.54). Daytime dysfunction, the decrease in subjective sleep quality and the decrease in habitual sleep efficiency from mild to severe sleep disturbance were most prevalent: 70%, 69%, and 61%, respectively. Each of these parameters was correlated positively with characteristics of pain frequency and intensity. The relative insufficiency of sleep quantity had the prevalence 2.23 times as high as reduced sleep duration: 61% and 27%, respectively (p<0.001).

CTTH is characterized by the decrease in sleep quality parameters, the main of which are Daytime dysfunction, Subjective sleep quality and Habitual sleep efficiency. Patients with CTTH characterize their sleep as: 1) of «bad» subjective quality, 2) non-restorative, 3) due to the relative insufficiency of its quantity.