Relationship between electrodiagnostic findings and sleep disturbance in carpal tunnel syndrome: A controlled objective and subjective study

OBJECTIVE: This controlled objective and subjective study aimed to evaluate the relationship between insomnia severity and electrodiagnostic findings in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). METHODS: Twenty-one patients with an established clinical and electrodiagnostic diagnosis of CTS before surgery were included. Sleep characteristics were monitored objectively over 4 to 9 nights by means of actigraphy. On the following morning, participants completed a sleep log that conveyed their subjective impressions of how they had slept. All patients also completed the Insomnia Severity Index questionnaire. The correlation of these findings with patients’ motor latency and sensory latency was evaluated using Spearman correlation analysis. RESULTS: We found no correlation between sensory or motor latencies and all sleep measures. CONCLUSION: Electrodiagnostic findings and sleep severity in patients with CTS appear to be independent measures, and they do not correlate with each other.