SLEEP QUALITY IN ADULTS WITH ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS: AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW

Abstract

Introduction: Ankylosing spondylitis is an inflammatory disease that primarily affects the spine and may lead to vertebral fusion. Poor sleep quality, presentin a large portion of the population, negatively affects physical and cognitive functioning, as well as overall well-being. In patients with inflammatory joint diseases such as ankylosing spondylitis, sleep disorders show a strong relationship with chronic pain and clinical worsening. Thus, understanding this interaction is essential for an effective multidisciplinary approach.

Objectives: To analyze recent literature investigating the relationship between sleep quality in adults with different forms of ankylosing spondylitis.

Methodology: This study is an integrative review that examined the relation ship between sleep quality and ankylosings pondylitis. A search was conducted in the PubMed, SciELO, Cochrane and LILACS databases, including studies from 2010 to 2025 involving adults and published in Portuguese, English or Spanish. After selection and careful reading, only articles that directly addressed sleep and ankylosing spondylitis were included. Data were organized in tables and qualitatively analyzed. The main findings were synthesized and discussed to answer the guiding question of the review.

Results: Eleven studies were included, most of them cross-sectional observational designs. The findings revealed a high prevalence of poor sleep quality, sleep-related breathing disorders, insomnia, and daytime sleepiness in patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Factors such as pain, fatigue, depression, stiffness, higher disease activity, worse physical function, age, increased Body Mass Index and metabolic alterations were strongly associated with poorer sleep quality.

Conclusion: The results indicate that sleep quality is significantly related to multiple clinical aspects of ankylosing spondylitis, reinforcing its importance in the multidimensional management of the disease. However, there is as carcity of studies on intervention, especially physiotherapeutic ones, aimed at improving sleep in this population, highlighting the need for future research exploring more specific therapeutic and multiprofessional approaches.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56238/sevened2026.009-014