Exploring the Association Between Complaints of Sensory Hypersensitivity and Sleep Disturbances After Acquired Brain Injury: A Cross‐Sectional Study

Sleep disturbances are prevalent after acquired brain injury and negatively affect quality of life. Sensory hypersensitivity may cause or exacerbate sleep disturbances, yet evidence on this relationship after acquired brain injury is lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate the hypothesised positive relationship between the severity of sleep disturbances and sensory hypersensitivity after acquired brain injury. In a cross-sectional study, 556 individuals with acquired brain injury (e.g., stroke, traumatic brain injury and meningioma) completed the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) to assess the severity of sleep disturbances, and the Multi-Modal Evaluation of Sensory Sensitivity (MESSY) to assess sensory hypersensitivity as part of an online survey. Associations between the severity of sleep disturbances, core insomnia symptoms (i.e., difficulty initiating sleep, maintaining sleep and problems with waking too early), sensory hypersensitivity, and hypersensitivity for individual sensory modalities (i.e., visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, gustatory, motion and temperature) were analysed using bivariate and multivariate linear regression. Greater sensory hypersensitivity was associated with more severe sleep disturbances (β = 0.47, p < 0.001), explaining 24% of the variance. Greater severity across the core insomnia symptoms was associated with increased sensory hypersensitivity (ρ = 0.33-0.40, p < 0.001). Hypersensitivity in all sensory modalities was related to more severe sleep disturbances (β = 0.19-0.41, p < 0.001). These findings support a robust association between sensory hypersensitivity and the severity of sleep disturbances in individuals with acquired brain injury. The results stress the importance of assessing sleep disturbances and sensory hypersensitivity after acquired brain injury. Longitudinal and multimodal research is warranted to elucidate causal mechanisms and inform treatment strategies.