Sleep Disturbance in Palliative Care

Sleep disturbance in palliative medicine is a common and challenging condition that significantly adds to the burden of suffering experienced by patients with advanced stage diseases. Sleep disorders may be primary or, more commonly, a secondary symptom of the advancing disease process. The diverse nature of patients under palliative care makes management of sleep disorders particularly challenging and highly individualized. Multiple pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions have been successfully used for the management of sleep disturbances in palliative medicine. Yet, despite these measures, many patients do not seek medical attention for sleep disturbances, and health care providers tend to under-diagnose this condition and under-treat it when diagnosed, thus missing an opportunity to improve the quality of life of patients already suffering from the burden of terminal disease.