Sleep and physical activity: a survey of people with inflammatory arthritis and their engagement by health professionals in rheumatology in Ireland

Purpose: Sleep is important in maintaining the body’s circadian rhythm and in maintaining health. Aim was to investigate sleep and physical activity among people who have Inflammatory Arthritis and their engagement with Health Professionals. Materials and Methods: Members from a national charitable organisation for patients with arthritis and a national rheumatology health professionals society were invited to participate in separate cross-sectional surveys hosted on SurveyMonkey(R)TM. Results: Ninety (90) people responded and report an average of 5.7 (SD 1.46) hours sleep per night. A majority (61%) report their sleep quality as bad, with 31% taking medications at least once a week to help sleep. There was a statistically significant association between longer years with symptoms, taking medication at least once a week and limited in their activities, when rating their sleep quality as bad. Twenty eight (65%) health professional’s responded with 53% discussing sleep with their patients. Conclusions: People with inflammatory arthritis report low sleep with those having symptoms longer, taking medications regularly and having limitations with their activities, reporting poorer sleep quality. Only half of health professionals discuss sleep. More research is needed in investigating poor sleep quality, disturbances and physical activity in order to promote health and well-being in this population.