Conclusions: The comorbidity of sleep disturbance with chronic dizziness in women was related to the intensity of distress and interference with their lives due to dizziness, although it was not related to objective variables of dizziness. In addition, the presence of sleep disturbance was associated with severe anxiety and depression, and low health-related quality-of-life (QoL).
Objectives: This study investigated the effect of sleep disturbance in patients with chronic dizziness on symptoms of dizziness, handicaps due to dizziness, health-related QoL, and emotional distress.
Method: The participants of this study were 252 in-patients with chronic dizziness. Participants completed questionnaires containing the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI, three sub-scales: Physical [DHI-P], Emotional [DHI-E], and Functional [DHI-F] scores), Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI-J), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Medical Outcomes Study 8-items Short Form Health Survey (SF-8, health-related QoL). The participants then underwent gravity center fluctuation measurement as an objective indicator of the severity of dizziness.
Results: The prevalence of sleep disturbance (PSQI-J global score >= 6) was 65.1% in these participants. Two-way ANOVA of the DHI scores showed significant interaction between sleep disturbance and sex in DHI total, DHI-E score, and DHI-F score, indicating that these scores were higher in women with sleep disturbance. Regarding DHI-P score, only the main effect of sex was significant (women>men). Sleep disturbance had no significant effect on objective indicators of severity of dizziness. Patients with sleep disturbance had significantly higher HADS scored and a lower SF-8 scored than patients without sleep disturbance.