Nursing care considerations for dialysis patients with a sleep disorder

Sleep disorders are common in patients with kidney disease. The relationship between sleep disorders and kidney disease is complex and bidirectional. Many renal disease-related factors such as anaemia, fluid and uraemic toxin accumulation are found to cause poor sleep quality. Inadequate sleep and reduced sleep time increases risk of hypertension and proteinuria, and exaggerates kidney failure. The consequences of sleep disorders such as fatigue and depression have a profound impact on the patient’s quality of life and survival, yet sleep is not routinely assessed in current renal practice. The purpose of this paper is to explain the definition and clinical symptoms of different types of sleep disorders that are commonly reported by patients with kidney disease. The potential causes of each sleep disorder and the risk factors associated with kidney failure are also a focus of this paper. We have reviewed commonly used screening tools and summarised some useful strategies that can be initiated by a nurse when caring for a patient with kidney disease and a co-exisitng sleep disorder.