Contribution of sleep quality to fatigue following a stroke: a cross-sectional study

The prevalence of fatigue and sleep disturbances is high in stroke populations. Sleep quality can be targeted by interventions to alleviate fatigue following a stroke. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of fatigue and poor sleep quality, and to quantify the contribution of sleep quality to fatigue following a stroke, in chronic (≥1 year) stroke survivors.

A cross-sectional design was adopted. A total of 112 stroke survivors (mean age ± standard deviation [year], 64.18 ± 5.77) at 6.08 ± 4.80 years post-stroke completed this study. All participants were assessed using the Fatigue Assessment Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Visual Analogue Scale-Pain, the Fugl-Meyer Assessment of the upper and lower extremities, the 5-Time Sit-To-Stand Test, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, the Frenchay Activities Index, the Life-Space Assessment, the Community Integration Measure, and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Pearson and partial correlation coefficients were used to examine the correlation between fatigue and other variables. A multiple linear regression (the forced entry method) was performed to quantify the independent contribution of sleep quality to prediction of fatigue.

Of the 112 participants, 52.7% reported experiencing fatigue and 64.3% reported poor sleep quality. Sleep quality could independently account for 5.9% of the variance in fatigue scores after a stroke.

There is a high prevalence of fatigue and poor sleep quality in Chinese stroke survivors. Sleep quality is an independent predictor of fatigue in those living in the community who have survived a stroke for a year or longer.