Intradialytic subjective sleepiness and oral body temperature

Abstract

Study Objectives: Hemodialysis (HD) patients are often observed to sleep during treatment. Because of the well-described, inverse association between body temperature and sleep propensity, the purpose of this study was to describe the course of intradialytic (during HD) subjective sleepiness and examine its relationship to oral body temperature. In addition, we sought to determine if that relationship varied with dialysis treatment time of day. Design: Subjective sleepiness and oral body temperature were recorded every 15 minutes through the entire course of HD. Setting: The study was conducted at two large, inner-city dialysis units. Patients or Participants: The sample included 60 chronic HD patients, 20 on each of three shifts based on treatment time of day (shift 1-6:00 A.M. to 10:00 A.M.; shift 2-10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.; and shift 3-2:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M.. Measurements and Results: Subjects on shift 1 were found to have a mean intradialytic sleepiness level greater than those on shift 2 (p