New research from the American Journal of Kidney Disease shows hemodialysis patients have problems sleeping that cannot be explained by advanced age or chronic health conditions.
 
The research ultimately found hemodialysis patients were three times more likely to sleep less than five hours a night and more than half of the hemodialysis patients in the study reported difficulty getting back to sleep, waking up too early, feeling tired and not getting enough sleep.
 
The authors of the study suggest changing how hemodialysis is delivered and working with patients to improve their sleep habits, such as not napping during the day and avoiding strenuous activity in the evening, may improve their quality of sleep.

This article originally appeared in the September 2008 issue of Renal Flash.