Sleep health of adults with cerebral palsy: A systematic review

Although many people with cerebral palsy (CP) are adults, most sleep research in CP focuses on children. As poor sleep can affect pain, mood, energy, daily functioning, and quality of life, we reviewed what is currently known about the sleep health of adults with CP. We searched three major research databases up to February 2025 for studies that reported any sleep-related measure in adults (18+ years) with CP. We summarized results across studies and assessed study quality. Thirteen studies met the criteria. Studies measured sleep in many ways including clinical diagnoses, diagnostic codes in healthcare records, and self- or caregiver-reported questionnaires. Overall, the evidence suggests that sleep problems are common for adults with CP and may be more frequent than in adults without CP. However, most findings could not be combined or generalized with confidence because studies were small, used different definitions and tools, and often did not include samples that represent the broader adult CP population. Important differences (e.g. motor function level, intellectual disability status, or age) were rarely reported, limiting what we can say about who is most affected and why.