Sleep profile and its correlation with clinical variables in fibromyalgia syndrome: A cross-sectional study

A scarcity of literature exists on sleep quality in fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) in Indian patients. The current study described the sleep profile of patients with FMS with poor sleep quality residing in urban Bangalore and determined the relationship between poor sleep and fibromyalgia variables.

Eighty-six patients with FMS were included in the study. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR) were used to evaluate the sleep profile and fibromyalgia variables. Spearman's rank correlation, t-test, and one-way analysis of variance were used for the analyses.

Ninety-one percent of patients with FMS were identified as poor sleepers (PSQI >5). The mean PSQI global score of the included patients was 12.04 ± 3.5. The global sleep score varied with sex (p = 0.003) and fibromyalgia severity (p = 0.001). A significant correlation was found between PSQI global score and FIQR total score (r = 0.4, p < 0.001), FIQR subdomains (r = 0.2-0.4, p < 0.05), and FMS duration (r = 0.26, p < 0.05). The PSQI global score was also correlated with pain, depression, memory, anxiety, balance, and sensitivity (r = 0.2-0.3, p < 0.05).

Sleep disturbance is highly prevalent in patients with FMS residing in urban Bangalore. Sleep quality tends to worsen in females with increasing FMS severity and duration but does not differ across other demographic variables. Sleep quality is significantly correlated with somatic as well as psychological variables. Future studies evaluating the predictors of poor sleep are needed to further corroborate these findings.