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Table of Contents Introduction
Overview
Risk Factors
Diagnosis
Treatment
Get More Information From NCI
Changes to This Summary (09/09/2008)
Questions or Comments About This Summary
About PDQ
Introduction
This patient summary on sleep disorders is adapted from a summary written for
health professionals by cancer experts. This and other credible information
about cancer treatment, screening, prevention, supportive care, and ongoing clinical trials is available from the National Cancer Institute. Sleep
disorders may be caused by tumor growth, cancer therapy, or other factors.
This brief summary describes sleep disorders, their causes and treatment.
Back to Top Overview
Sleep disorders occur in some people with cancer and may be caused by physical
illness, pain, treatment drugs, being in the hospital, and emotional stress.
Sleep has two phases: rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM (NREM). REM sleep,
also known as "dream sleep," is the phase of sleep in which the brain is
active. NREM is the quiet or restful phase of sleep. The stages of sleep
occur in a repeated pattern of NREM followed by REM. Each sleep cycle lasts
about 90 minutes and is repeated 4 to 6 times during a 7- to 8-hour sleep
period. The four major categories of sleep disorders that interfere with
normal sleep patterns include:
Back to Top Risk Factors
The sleep disorders most likely to affect patients with cancer are insomnias and disorders of the sleep-wake cycle. Effects of tumor growth and cancer
treatment that may cause sleep disturbances include:
For more information on managing symptoms and side effects, see PDQ Cancer Information Summaries: Supportive and Palliative Care.
Patients may have sleep interruptions due to
treatment schedules, hospital routines, and roommates. Other factors affecting
sleep during a hospital stay include noise, temperature, pain, anxiety, and the
patient's age. Chronic sleep disturbances can cause irritability, inability to
concentrate, depression, and anxiety. While in the hospital, sleep disorders
may make it hard for the patient to continue with cancer therapy.
Back to Top Diagnosis
To diagnose sleep disorders in cancer patients, the doctor will get the
patient's complete medical history and give a physical examination. The doctor
may get information about the patient's sleep history and patterns of sleep
from the patient, from observations, and from the patient's family and friends.
A polysomnogram, an instrument that measures brain waves, eye movements, muscle
tone, heart rate, and breathing during sleep, may also be used to diagnose
sleep disorders in patients with cancer.
Back to Top Treatment
Sleep disorders that are related to cancer may be treated by eliminating the
cancer and side effects of cancer treatment. To promote rest and treat sleep
disorders the following may be considered:
- Create an environment that decreases sleep interruptions by:
- Lowering
noise.
- Dimming or turning off lights.
- Adjusting room temperature.
-
Keeping bedding, chairs, and pillows clean, dry, and wrinkle-free.
- Using
bedcovers for warmth.
- Placing pillows in a supportive position.
- Encouraging the patient to dress in loose, soft clothing.
- Encourage regular bowel and bladder habits to minimize sleep
interruptions, such as
- No drinking before bedtime.
- Emptying the bowel
and bladder before going to bed.
- Increasing consumption of fluids and fiber during the day.
- Taking medication for incontinence before
bedtime.
Rest in patients with cancer may also be promoted by:
- Eating a high- protein snack 2 hours before bedtime.
- Avoiding heavy, spicy, or sugary foods 4 to 6 hours before bedtime.
- Avoiding drinking alcohol or smoking 4 to 6 hours before bedtime.
- Avoiding drinks with caffeine.
- Exercising (which
should be completed at least 2 hours before bedtime).
- Keeping regular
sleeping hours.
Drugs may also be used to help patients with cancer manage
their sleep disorders.
Back to Top Get More Information From NCI
Call 1-800-4-CANCER
For more information, U.S. residents may call the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) Cancer Information Service toll-free at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237) Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Deaf and hard-of-hearing callers with TTY equipment may call 1-800-332-8615. The call is free and a trained Cancer Information Specialist is available to answer your questions.
Chat online
The NCI's LiveHelp® online chat service provides Internet users with the ability to chat online with an Information Specialist. The service is available from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Information Specialists can help Internet users find information on NCI Web sites and answer questions about cancer.
Write to us
For more information from the NCI, please write to this address:
- NCI Public Inquiries Office
- Suite 3036A
- 6116 Executive Boulevard, MSC8322
- Bethesda, MD 20892-8322
Search the NCI Web site
The NCI Web site provides online access to information on cancer, clinical trials, and other Web sites and organizations that offer support and resources for cancer patients and their families. For a quick search, use our “Best Bets” search box in the upper right hand corner of each Web page. The results that are most closely related to your search term will be listed as Best Bets at the top of the list of search results.
There are also many other places to get materials and information about cancer treatment and services. Hospitals in your area may have information about local and regional agencies that have information on finances, getting to and from treatment, receiving care at home, and dealing with problems related to cancer treatment.
Find Publications
The NCI has booklets and other materials for patients, health professionals, and the public. These publications discuss types of cancer, methods of cancer treatment, coping with cancer, and clinical trials. Some publications provide information on tests for cancer, cancer causes and prevention, cancer statistics, and NCI research activities. NCI materials on these and other topics may be ordered online or printed directly from the NCI Publications Locator. These materials can also be ordered by telephone from the Cancer Information Service toll-free at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237), TTY at 1-800-332-8615.
Back to Top Changes to This Summary (09/09/2008)
The PDQ cancer information summaries are reviewed regularly and updated as new information becomes available. This section describes the latest changes made to this summary as of the date above.
Changes were made to this summary to match those made to the health professional version.
Back to Top Questions or Comments About This Summary
If you have questions or comments about this summary, please send them to Cancer.gov through the Web site’s Contact Form. We can respond only to email messages written in English.
Back to Top About PDQ
PDQ is a comprehensive cancer database available on NCI's Web site.
PDQ is the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) comprehensive cancer information database. Most of the information contained in PDQ is available online at NCI's Web site. PDQ is provided as a service of the NCI. The NCI is part of the National Institutes of Health, the federal government's focal point for biomedical research.
PDQ contains cancer information summaries.
The PDQ database contains summaries of the latest published information on cancer prevention, detection, genetics, treatment, supportive care, and complementary and alternative medicine. Most summaries are available in two versions. The health professional versions provide detailed information written in technical language. The patient versions are written in easy-to-understand, nontechnical language. Both versions provide current and accurate cancer information.
The PDQ cancer information summaries are developed by cancer experts and reviewed regularly.
Editorial Boards made up of experts in oncology and related specialties are responsible for writing and maintaining the cancer information summaries. The summaries are reviewed regularly and changes are made as new information becomes available. The date on each summary ("Date Last Modified") indicates the time of the most recent change.
PDQ also contains information on clinical trials.
A clinical trial is a study to answer a scientific question, such as whether one method of treating symptoms is better than another. Trials are based on past studies and what has been learned in the laboratory. Each trial answers certain scientific questions in order to find new and better ways to help cancer patients. Some patients have symptoms caused by cancer treatment or by the cancer itself. During supportive care clinical trials, information is collected about how well new ways to treat symptoms of cancer work. The trials also study side effects of treatment and problems that come up during or after treatment. If a clinical trial shows that a new treatment is better than one currently being used, the new treatment may become "standard." Patients who have symptoms related to cancer treatment may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial.
Listings of clinical trials are included in PDQ and are available online at NCI's Web site. Descriptions of the trials are available in health professional and patient versions. Many cancer doctors who take part in clinical trials are also listed in PDQ. For more information, call the Cancer Information Service 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237); TTY at 1-800-332-8615.
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