Present study was an attempt to evaluate sleep parameters and characteristics of circadian rhythm in rest-activity in sickle cell diseased patients. Rest-activity rhythm was studied on ten patients (6 males and 4 females) non-invasively with the help of wrist actigraphy, and compared with 10 age-matched normal subjects (6 males and 4 females). Several sleep parameters, such as time in bed, assumed sleep, actual sleep time, actual wake time, sleep efficiency, sleep latency, and fragmentation index were recorded by selecting fifteen second epoch length for collection of data. The results of the present study validated a statistically significant circadian rhythm in rest-activity for all subjects with drastic alteration in circadian rhythm parameters in sickling patients. Dichotomy index declined significantly in the group of sickling patients. Results of sleep parameters revealed that sickling patients had lower assumed sleep duration, and exhibited less sleep efficiency as compared to that of the control subjects. More sleep latency and higher fragmentation index indicates deterioration of sleep among sickling patients. In conclusion, the results of the present study document disruption of circadian rhythm and sleep impairment in sickling patients. Alterations of circadian rhythm and deterioration of sleep could be attributed to diseased status.
Autocorrelation, Circadian rhythm, Dichotomy index, Rest-activity rhythm, Sickle cell disease, Sleep
