Sleep in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome shows marked night-to-night fluctuation under free-living...

Unrefreshing and non-restorative sleep is a hallmark complaint in people with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). However, little is known about their habitual sleep and night-to-night fluctuations under real-life conditions. This study aimed to characterize sleep, and the intraindividual variability (IIV) of sleep in people living with ME/CFS compared with matched controls.

In this case-control study, 38 ME/CFS and 38 controls wore a wrist accelerometer continuously for 7 days and completed concurrent sleep diaries, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). Within the ME/CFS group, participants were also stratified by symptom severity using the Bell Disability Scale. Sleep IIV was quantified using the coefficient of variation, the root mean square of successive differences, and the Bayesian variability model, respectively.

Compared with controls, individuals with ME/CFS spent significantly more time in bed and exhibited poorer sleep efficiency (SE) (all p < 0.05). Despite a longer time in bed, total sleep time did not differ between groups. ME/CFS participants also displayed significantly greater IIV in SE. By contrast, sleep timing (bedtime) was more regular among ME/CFS. Exploratory analyses did not detect clear differences across ME/CFS severity subgroups for mean sleep variables or variability indices.

Under real-life conditions, people with ME/CFS exhibit poor sleep quality and unstable SE. These findings highlight sleep IIV as a clinically relevant dimension of sleep health in ME/CFS.

Unrefreshing sleep is a core symptom of ME/CFS, yet most evidence relies on single- or two-night laboratory assessments that may not reflect habitual sleep under real-life conditions. Moreover, night-to-night sleep variability, a potentially critical dimension of sleep health, has not been systematically examined in ME/CFS.

Using week-long wrist accelerometry, this study shows that under free-living conditions sleep in ME/CFS is characterized not only by impaired sleep efficiency but also by pronounced night-to-night variability, despite relatively stable bedtime compared to controls. These findings highlight sleep efficiency variability as a clinically relevant feature of ME/CFS and underscore the need for multi-night assessment and targeted strategies addressing sleep variability.