Topic

Sleep Dysfunction

Domain: Neurology

PEM-relevant research

3 studies in the atlas

Non-restorative sleep, circadian disruption, and sleep architecture abnormalities in ME/CFS.

What We Know

Polysomnography studies show abnormal sleep architecture in ME/CFS patients, particularly reduced slow-wave sleep and altered REM patterns. Non-restorative sleep is a near-universal symptom.

What We Think

Circadian rhythm research and actigraphy-based activity monitoring are being applied to understand sleep-wake cycles in ME/CFS.

What We Don't Know

Sleep dysfunction in ME/CFS may be secondary to pain, autonomic dysfunction, or neuroinflammation. Treatment of sleep disturbance alone does not resolve ME/CFS.

Studies in this Topic

E0 ConsensusPEM ✓Moderate confidenceReviewed

The persistence of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) after SARS-CoV-2 infection: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Dehlia, Ankush, Guthridge, Mark A·The Journal of infection·2024

Researchers looked at studies of people with Long COVID to see how many also meet the diagnostic criteria for ME/CFS. They found that about half of Long COVID patients have symptoms that match ME/CFS, including severe fatigue, sleep problems, muscle and joint pain, and post-exertional malaise (feeling much worse after physical activity). This suggests that Long COVID and ME/CFS may be very similar conditions, at least in some patients.

Sleep DysfunctionPost-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModeratePEM ✓PreliminaryMachine draft

Pediatric Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

Jason, Leonard A, Johnson, Madeline, Torres, Chelsea·Fatigue : biomedicine, health & behavior·2023

This study compared young people recovering from long COVID (PASC) with young people who have ME/CFS to understand how their symptoms differ. Researchers asked 19 parents about their child's symptoms during initial COVID infection and again later, then compared these to 19 young people with ME/CFS. Most PASC symptoms improved over time, but fatigue and sleep problems stayed high—similar to what ME/CFS patients experience.

Sleep DysfunctionPost-Exertional Malaise

E2 ModeratePEM ✓Moderate confidenceMachine draft

Evaluating case diagnostic criteria for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS): toward an empirical case definition.

Conroy, Karl E, Islam, Mohammed F, Jason, Leonard A·Disability and rehabilitation·2023

This study looked at how doctors diagnose ME/CFS by analyzing symptoms reported by over 2,300 patients from around the world. Researchers used statistical methods to identify which symptoms tend to occur together, then compared their findings to three existing diagnostic guidelines. They found that the symptoms cluster into seven main groups, with post-exertional malaise (worsening after activity), cognitive problems, and sleep issues being particularly important.

Sleep DysfunctionPost-Exertional Malaise