Sleep measurement and clinical impact in osteoarthritis and inflammatory arthritis: a scoping review

To map how sleep has been assessed in osteoarthritis (OA) and/or inflammatory arthritis (IA), and to synthesise the evidence on the prevalence, characteristics, and relationships between sleep disturbances and these conditions.

We conducted a scoping review following the JBI guidelines and reported it following the PRISMA extension guidelines for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Medline (PubMed), EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Central, PsycINFO, grey literature sources, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched. Using the RU-SATED framework, we categorised and narratively synthesised sleep dimensions and assessment methods, and tracked the clinical impact of sleep disturbances in OA and IA.

283 records (265 published studies; 18 registered trials) were included. They comprised 171 studies on IA, 77 on OA, and 17 on mixed populations, which were considered separately where appropriate. Sleep assessment methods varied across studies, favouring subjective over objective measurements. Studies primarily focused on sleep satisfaction, duration, efficiency, and sleepiness, overlooking regularity and timing. Global sleep disturbances were observed in ∼40-90% of OA and IA participants, with prevalence estimates varying substantially according to definitions, assessment methods, and study populations. A consistent pattern of discrepancies between subjective and objective sleep metrics was identified.

Sleep disturbance is a prevalent and clinically significant feature of both OA and IA, yet it remains underrepresented in research and routine care. This review highlights substantial heterogeneity in sleep assessment and consistent discrepancies between subjective and objective measures. These findings support the need for standardised, multimethod approaches and for integrating sleep evaluation into rheumatology research and clinical guidelines.