A review finds poor subjective sleep quality is common in ALS
Original source
Subjective sleep quality in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. (opens in a new tab)Compass summarised this from the study's abstract.
Study details
- Study type
- Systematic review
- Studied in
- Human
A systematic review and meta-analysis found that 56.7% of people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) had poor subjective sleep quality. Across 23 studies involving 1,899 people with ALS, average Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores exceeded the clinical cutoff for poor sleep. People with ALS also reported worse sleep quality than healthy controls.
Why this matters
Sleep problems may affect many people with ALS and were associated with factors including depression, anxiety, fatigue, daytime sleepiness, constipation and cognitive impairment. The findings support systematic sleep screening and proactive management, but this review did not show that any particular treatment improves sleep or other outcomes.
Limitations and context
This was a review of observational assessments using patient-reported sleep measures; 20 of the 23 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The findings describe subjective sleep quality and associations, not treatment effects or proof that the associated factors cause poor sleep. The review searched studies published through August 2025, and meta-regression did not find significant associations with age, sex, disease duration or ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised scores.