ABSTRACT
Many patients in palliative care settings complain of tiredness and fatigue, and many attribute this to poor sleep. They may experience difficulty in getting to sleep, difficulty in staying asleep, wakening early, waking normally but still feeling tired, or a combination of these. Withdrawal of alcohol on admission may be the reason for disturbed sleep in hospital, but the patient may be reluctant to admit this. Sleep deprivation has several important outcomes some of them are lowered pain threshold that results in worsening of pain which interferes with sleep, and tiredness and reduced activity, which increases the risk of pressure ulcers. Doctors must attempt to re-establish the normal sleep/wake cycle by encouraging as much exercise and activity as possible and discouraging daytime napping.
