Sleep disorders are extremely common among dialysis patients. The most commonly reported complaints are excessive daytime sleepiness, sleep apnea syndrome, restless legs syndrome, snoring and intermittent limb movement disorders. Clinical studies have found that sleep apnea syndrome (SAS), restless legs syndrome (RLS) and recurrent limb movement disorder (RLMD) are much more common in dialysis patients than among the general population. Undoubtedly, these sleep problems have a significant negative impact on quality of life, as they are often mentioned as the main sources of stress.
Sleep apnea is a chronic disease that is a repeated respiratory arrest during sleep, the consequences of which is low level of oxygen in the blood. Conducted researches show that sleep apnea may lead to increased levels of cardiovascular events and to the accelerated development of atherosclerosis in patients with chronic kidney disease.
In Bulgaria, no specific studies have been conducted based on the problem of sleep disorders in patients with CKD. However, global research has shown that problems with these disorders occupy a significant part in systemic history of patients with CKD.