Abstract Introduction Although abnormalities in sleep continuity and architecture are common in schizophrenia and patients with this chronic psychotic disorder are exposed to risk factors for the development of sleep disturbances, few studies have assessed the prevalence of sleep disorders in this clinical population and their results are mixed. Base on this, we aimed to compare the frequency of sleep disturbances between patients with schizophrenia and control subjects. Methods Eighty six patients with schizophrenia and 43 control subjects were assessed with the insomnia severity index, the Holland Sleep Disorders Questionnaire, the Berlin Questionnaire, the Sleep Apnea Clinical Score, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Restless Legs Syndrome Index. Comparisons between groups were performed using Chi square/Fisher Exact Test or t test. Results There were no significant differences in sex (37.2 vs 37.2 % of female) and age (42.9 SD 14.6 vs 45.4 SD 15.3, p=.35). Patients with schizophrenia showed higher scores on insomnia (9.7 SD 5.9 vs 7.0 SD 5.6, t=2.39, p=.01) and sleep quality (7.5 SD 3.6 vs 5.5 SD 3.1, t=9.73, p 0.001). Circadian rhythm sleep disorders showed a trend to be significantly more frequent among patients with schizophrenia (11.6 % vs 2.3 %, Fisher Exact Test p=.09). There were no significant differences between schizophrenia and control subjects in sleepiness severity and the frequency of Restless Legs Syndrome (11.6 vs 18.6 %), obstructive sleep apnea (27.9 vs 20.9 %), insomnia disorder (10.5 vs 4.7 %), parasomnias (5.4 vs 2.3 %). Conclusion These results suggest that patients with schizophrenia present with poor sleep quality and insomnia symptoms; however, sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, parasomnias, RLS and insomnia disorder are not significantly more frequent. Support (if any) None
Jiménez-Genchi et al. (2026) studied this question.