Alterations of nocturnal sleep in patients with HIV infection

Abstract

Nocturnal sleep of 14 patients with HIV infection was characterized by longer sleep onset latency, shorter total sleep time, reduced sleep efficiency, more time spent awake and in Stage 1. There was significantly less sleep Stage 2 than in healthy controls. REM latency was slightly reduced and correlated negatively with depressive symptomatology, while percentages of REM and slow wave sleep were normal. Patients without complaints at the time of the investigation exhibited similar sleep abnormalities. The results stress the usefulness of polysomnography as a sensitive methodology for detection and monitoring of CNS affection in HIV positive patients.

Sleepiness and sleep quality in patients with HIV infection

“…This means that depression, which occurs frequently and severely during all stages of HIV infection [28], is the main factor associated with sleep disturbances in HIV infected patients and is independent from immunological parameters. This confirms previous findings on insomnia, fatigue, and polysomnographic changes in HIV infection which are also determined nearly exclusively by psychological comorbidity and not by the immune state of the patients [3,6,10,29]. However, the causal relationship between depression and sleep disorders remains unclear in our sample.…”

“…REM latency was slightly reduced and correlated negatively with depressive symptomatology, while percentages of REM and slow wave sleep were normal [10]. These findings were independent from the immune state of the patients in most studies [4,9,10].…”

“…Early polysomnographic studies revealed longer sleep onset latency, shorter total sleep time, reduced sleep efficiency, more time spent awake and in stage 1 in HIV infected patients [10]. REM latency was slightly reduced and correlated negatively with depressive symptomatology, while percentages of REM and slow wave sleep were normal [10].…”

Psychopharmacologic treatment of patients with HIV/AIDS

“…In a survey study of 115 HIV clinic patients, 73% endorsed insomnia [60]. Poor sleep quality in HIV-infected patients accompanies higher levels of depressive, anxiety, and physical symptoms; daytime sleepiness; and cognitive and functional impairment [61].…”

Predictors of Sleep Disorders among HIV Out-Patients in a Tertiary Hospital

“…It has been shown that disturbances in sleep can affect the normal physical, mental, and emotional functioning in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals [1,2]. These individuals have been known to have a high prevalence of disturbance ranging from 40% to 70% [3][4][5].…”