Subjective sleep disorders and daytime sleepiness in patients with restrictive type anorexia nervosa and effects on quality of life: a case-control study.

To evaluate sleep disorders and daytime drowsiness in a cohort of patients affected by anorexia nervosa and their impact on health-related quality of life. We evaluated patients affected by restricting-type of anorexia nervosa (AN-R) and healthy controls by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Beck Depression Index. We also used the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire to assess the quality of life in both AN-R and controls. Twenty-eight out of 34 AN-R patients (82.3%) in contrast with ten out of 34 healthy subjects (29.4%) had a pathological PSQI score compared to HC ( < 0.0001). The overall PSQI score ( < 0.001), sleep quality ( < 0.001), sleep duration ( = 0.02), sleep efficiency ( = 0.002), sleep disturbances ( = 0.03) and daytime dysfunction ( = 0.004) were significantly higher in AN-R than in controls. SF36 showed significantly reduced scores of standardized physical components ( = 0.01) and standardized mental components ( < 0.001), physical function ( < 0.001), physical role ( < 0.001) and general health ( < 0.001), vitality ( < 0.001), social functioning (  < 0.001) emotional role ( = 0.001) and mental health ( < 0.001) in AN-R. We found a significant correlation between the PSQI score and both the physical role ( = - 0.35,  = 0.03) and level of education ( = 0.38,  = 0.02). Our data showed reduced overall sleep quality without excessive daytime sleepiness in AN-R. Sleep quality correlated significantly with quality of life (physical role) and level of education.