Sleep, Prospective Memory, and Immune Status among People Living with HIV

Background: Persons living with HIV (PLWH) frequently report sleep complaints, but objective measurements are still lacking regarding sleep continuity, total sleep time per 24 h, and the links with both prospective memory performance and HIV infection parameters. Methods: PLWH (n = 96) and control (n = 96) groups (balanced for gender and age) were monitored by 24h-actigraphy for at least seven consecutive days. The prospective memory performance was assessed through a naturalistic, activity-based task performed twice a day on the actigraph. Results: PLWH had greater sleep latency and worse sleep continuity (higher fragmentation index) for night-time sleep and longest daytime nap (mean duration of the longest nap). Comparable results were reported for the prospective memory task; better performance scores were associated with several sleep parameters in controls but not in PLWH. Finally, within the PLWH group, being a long sleeper per 24 h (total sleep time > 8 h including more and long daytime naps) was associated with a greater severity of the disease (lower CD4 nadir and more frequent history of AIDS-defining events). Conclusions: These findings indicate that PLWH have more fragmented sleep and that the severity of HIV infection is associated with increased sleep duration.