Sleep and chronotype in adults with persistent tic disorders

Abstract

Objective This study examined sleep disorders and sleep medication use rates, nighttime tics, and sleep and chronotype in relation to tic and co‐occurring symptoms in adults with persistent tic disorders (PTDs), including Tourette's disorder (TD). Methods One hundred twenty‐five adult internet survey respondents rated sleep history, sleep, chronotype, tic severity, impairment, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, obsessive‐compulsive symptoms, anxiety, depression, and emotional and behavioral dyscontrol. Results Bruxism, insomnia, tic‐related difficulty falling asleep, and melatonin use were commonly endorsed. Sleep disturbance correlated with impairment, obsessive‐compulsive symptoms, and emotional and behavioral dyscontrol. Eveningness correlated with vocal and total tic severity only in TD. Controlling for age and sex, age, impairment, and obsessive‐compulsive symptoms predicted sleep disturbance, and age and tic severity predicted chronotype. Conclusions Impairment and obsessive‐compulsive symptoms play a role in sleep disturbance in adults with PTDs, and may be intervention targets. Eveningness relates to tic severity, which may suggest the utility of interventions to advance chronotype.

Tourette syndrome research highlights from 2022

“…Ricketts and colleagues published an important article about sleep disorders and the use of sleep medication, nighttime tics and pattern of sleep in patients with tics ( Ricketts et al . 2022a ).…”

Urge intolerance predicts tic severity and impairment among adults with Tourette syndrome and chronic tic disorders

“…In addition to tics, individuals with TS often experience a variety of comorbid psychiatric conditions [e.g., attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessivecompulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety disorders, depressive disorders] and co-occurring challenges with affect and behavioral regulation (e.g., suicidality, affect lability) (4)(5)(6)(7)(8). Tics, accompanying premonitory urges, and co-occurring psychiatric conditions contribute to significant impairment for individuals with TS across the lifespan (9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15). Behavioral therapies-such as habit reversal training (HRT), the Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT), and Exposure with Response Prevention (ERP)-have emerged as first-line interventions for individuals with TS (16)(17)(18).…”