Relationship between benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) and sleep quality

BACKGROUND: Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is a common cause of vertigo precipitated mainly by changes in head position for example during sleep. The relationship between sleep quality and BPPV has not been studied sufficiently. We decided to compare sleep quality between posterior canal BPPV patients and controls. METHODS: A total of 120 patients with posterior canal BPPV and 120 controls without BPPV were included. Demographic data as well as body mass index (BMI), cigarette smoking and medical history of the subjects were documented. The sleep quality of the participants was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). RESULTS: Mean scores in subjective sleep quality (0.48 vs. 0.19; P = 0.002), sleep disturbances (2.97 vs. 1.85; P = 0.007), use of sleep medications (0.6 vs. 0.25; P = 0.001), and daytime dysfunction (0.76 vs. 0.47; P = 0.07) were significantly higher in the BPPV group than in control group. Poor sleep quality (i.e., total PSQI score >5) was found in 42 patients in the BPPV group (35%) and in 16 controls (13.3%); P < 0.001. Poor sleep quality was significantly more common in those whose vertigo attacks had been started more than 12 months earlier (19 of 33 cases, 57.6%) than the patients whose symptoms had started in the past 12 months (23 of 87 cases, 26.4%); P = 0.001. CONCLUSION: Patients with posterior canal BPPV have poorer sleep quality when compared to controls without this condition, especially in women and those with disease duration longer than 12 months. These finding suggest that close attention should be paid to sleep quality of patients with BPPV.