Excessive Daytime Sleepiness in Stroke Survivors: An Integrative Review

Abstract

Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is a prevalent symptom among stroke survivors. This symptom is an independent risk factor for stroke and may reduce stroke survivors’ quality of life, cognitive functioning, and daytime functional performance. The lack of a universally accepted definition of EDS makes it difficult to measure EDS and synthesize research. The purpose of this integrative review is to describe poststroke EDS, ascertain conceptual and operational definitions of EDS, identify factors that contribute to EDS in stroke survivors, and explore outcomes associated with EDS in stroke survivors. We searched the following databases: PubMed and MEDLINE (OvidSP 1946—April; Week 2, 2015), Embase (OvidSP 1974—March; Week 1, 2015), and PsycINFO (OvidSP 1967—April; Week 2, 2015). Our search yielded 340 articles, 27 of which met inclusion criteria. The literature reveals EDS to be a multidimensional construct that is operationalized with both subjective and objective measures. Choosing measures that can quantify both the objective and subjective components is useful for gaining a comprehensive understanding of EDS. The antecedents of EDS are stroke, sleep-disordered breathing, reversed Robin Hood syndrome, and depression. The outcomes associated with EDS in stroke patients are serious and negative. Via synthesis of this research, we propose a possible framework for poststroke EDS, which may be of use in clinical practice and in research to identify valid quantifying methods for EDS as well as to prevent harmful outcomes in stroke survivors.