Publication date: May 13, 2026
Unrefreshing and non-restorative sleep is a hallmark complaint in people with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). However, little is known about their habitual sleep and night-to-night fluctuations under real-life conditions. This study aimed to characterize sleep, and the intraindividual variability (IIV) of sleep in people living with ME/CFS compared with matched controls. In this case-control study, 38 ME/CFS and 38 controls wore a wrist accelerometer continuously for 7 days and completed concurrent sleep diaries, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). Within the ME/CFS group, participants were also stratified by symptom severity using the Bell Disability Scale. Sleep IIV was quantified using the coefficient of variation, the root mean square of successive differences, and the Bayesian variability model, respectively. Compared with controls, individuals with ME/CFS spent significantly more time in bed and exhibited poorer sleep efficiency (SE) (all p
Semantics
| Type | Source | Name |
|---|---|---|
| disease | MESH | myalgic encephalomyelitis |
| disease | MESH | Sleepiness |
| disease | MESH | bed |
| disease | MESH | Long covid |
| disease | MESH | Sleep Wake Disorders |