Sleep and dialysis: a research-based review of the literature

Textbook descriptions of dialysis patients have long included features of insomnia, day-night reversal, and disturbed sleep. Moore recently, a very high prevalence of subjective sleep complaints and specific primary sleep disorders such as sleep apnea syndrome, periodic leg movement disorder, and restless legs syndrome have been documented in the population. These problems may in part be responsible for the low rehabilitation rate seen in ESRD patients. The purpose of this article is to assist dialysis nurses in their efforts to better understand the sleep alterations experienced by their patients by presenting a succinct review of the research literature. The major topics of discussion include: the prevalence and importance of sleep complaints in dialysis patients; subjective features and related factors; polysomnographic features; and contributing factors.