Insomnia in cancer patients on chemotherapy: An analysis of associated factors

Introduction Sleep disturbances are common among the cancer patients; affecting their overall quality of life. Objective Our study aims to evaluate the proportion and factors of insomnia among the cancer patient receiving chemotherapy. Materials and Methods This was a prospective cross-sectional study conducted among the cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. The patient details were collected in a newly developed data collection form and insomnia was studied using the insomnia severity index (ISI). The statistical analysis was carried out using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 29.0. Results This study found that a majority (80 out of 107; 74.8%) of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy were experiencing insomnia. Among the various analysed variables, age, stage of the cancer, treatment modality, number of chemotherapies, sleep pattern before the diagnosis of cancer were found significantly associated with insomnia. Conclusion Being a very common distressing symptom among cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, it is crucial to diagnose and manage insomnia timely.