Incidence of short-sleep patterns in institutionalized individuals with profound mental retardation

Sleep patterns of 103 individuals with profound mental retardation were explored. Hours of sleep were counted from night monitoring sheets for 21 months for those individuals in continuous residence on one area of a large ICF/MR. Forty individuals (38.8%) were found to have short-sleep patterns. Comparison of short-sleep and nonshort-sleep groups revealed no predictive factors for short-sleep except blindness. Diagnosis of cerebral palsy and sodium valproate usage were predictive for nonshort-sleep. Pattern type of short-sleep nights were also determined. Younger individuals had more difficulty initiating sleep than awakening early. Short-sleep patterns may interfere with habilitation activities and community adjustment. Techniques for minimizing possible negative consequences of short-sleep were discussed.