SLEEP DISTURBANCE IN PSORIASIS: PRURITUS, QUALITY OF LIFE AND DAILY FUNCTIONING
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31435/ijitss.2(50).2026.6147Keywords:
Psoriasis; Sleep Disturbance; Insomnia; DLQI; Fatigue; Daily Functioning; Psychological DistressAbstract
Psoriasis is a chronic immune-mediated inflammatory disease traditionally assessed by objective cutaneous severity measures, including Psoriasis Area and Severity Index, body surface area involvement and physician global assessments. However, patient-reported symptoms such as pruritus, pain, fatigue and sleep disturbance often determine the real-world burden of disease more accurately than visible skin involvement alone. Sleep disturbance is increasingly recognized as a clinically relevant comorbidity in psoriasis, with potential effects on quality of life, daily functioning, emotional well-being, work productivity and treatment satisfaction. Current evidence indicates that patients with psoriasis have a higher prevalence of poor sleep quality, insomnia symptoms, shortened sleep duration, obstructive sleep apnoea risk and daytime dysfunction than healthy controls. Pruritus is one of the most consistent symptom-level drivers of impaired sleep, particularly when it intensifies in the evening or at night. However, the relationship between psoriasis and sleep is multidirectional: anxiety, depression, pain, psoriatic arthritis, obesity, systemic inflammation, metabolic dysregulation and lifestyle factors may all contribute to disturbed sleep, while poor sleep may further amplify inflammatory tone and disease burden. Recent prospective and population-based data suggest that sleep should be regarded not only as a consequence of psoriasis but also as a potentially modifiable factor linked to psoriatic disease risk. This review summarizes current evidence on sleep disturbance in psoriasis, with emphasis on pruritus, quality of life, daily functioning, psychological comorbidity, clinical assessment and therapeutic implications.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Aleksandra Kujach, Julia Góralska, Melania Popielarczyk, Katarzyna Napiórkowska
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