L'évaluation du chronotype en clinique du sommeil

Sleep logs are recommended as a method in the assessment of patients with circadian rhythm sleep disorders (CRSD). This tool can evaluate bad sleep hygiene and insufficient sleep syndrome. Chronotype questionnaires developed to assess morning and evening preferences cannot be used as an assessment of CRSD. However, chronotype is an important predictor of sleep timings, sleep stability, sleep duration, sleep need, sleep quality, morning sleepiness, and adaptability to shift work, etc. Evening types built up a sleep debt during the week for which they compensate on free days by lengthening their sleep and by consuming more psychostimulants. The morningness/eveningness questionnaire developed by Horne and Ostberg is the gold standard but has some limitations (19 items, unadapted to shift workers, etc.) and must be corrected with age. A brief description of morning and evening types followed by a self-assessment of the chronotype could be an alternative in sleep clinic.