Stroke impact symptoms are associated with sleep-related impairment.

Background: Sleep-related impairment is a common but under-appreciated complication after stroke and may impede stroke recovery. Yet little is known about factors associated with sleep-related impairment after stroke.

Objective: The purpose of this analysis was to examine the relationship between stroke impact symptoms and sleep-related impairment among stroke survivors.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional secondary analysis of a baseline (entry) data in a completed clinical trial with 100 community-dwelling stroke survivors recruited within 4 months after stroke. Sleep-related impairment and stroke impact domain symptoms after stroke were assessed with the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Sleep-Related Impairment scale and the Stroke Impact Scale, respectively. A multivariate regression was computed.

Results: Stroke impact domain-mood (B = -0.105, t = -3.263, p = .002) - and fatigue (B = 0.346, t = 3.997, p < .001) were associated with sleep-related impairment.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that ongoing stroke impact symptoms are closely related to sleep-related impairment. An intervention targeting both stroke impact symptoms and sleep-related impairment may be useful in improving neurologic recovery and quality of life in stroke survivors.