Poor sleep quality ups risk of sexual dysfunction

Sleep disorders, particularly obstructive sleep apnoea, are associated with a higher risk of sexual dysfunction (SD) in both men and women, suggests a study.

In addition, “[p]oor sleep quality is significantly associated with SD [and] short sleep duration is associated with an increased risk of SD,” the authors said.

A systematic search was conducted using the databases of PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Medline, and the Cochrane Library from inception to 10 November 2022. The authors used pooled relative risks (RRs) and 95 percent confidence intervals (CIs) to explore the relationships of SD with sleep disorders, sleep quality, and sleep duration in cross-sectional studies.

Forty-three studies (32 cross-sectional and 11 longitudinal) met the eligibility criteria for quantitative analysis. The pooled RR of SD in patients with sleep disorders was 1.97 (95 percent CI, 1.46‒2.67; p<0.001; heterogeneity: I², 95.0 percent; p<0.001) in longitudinal studies.

In cross-sectional studies, the pooled odds ratio (OR) of SD in those with sleep disorders was 2.05 (95 percent CI, 1.76‒2.39; p<0.001; heterogeneity: I², 91.4 percent; p<0.001).

Participants with poor sleep quality showed a 1.49-fold higher risk of SD (OR, 1.49, 95 percent CI, 1.31‒1.71; p<0.001; heterogeneity: I², 73.4 percent; p<0.001) than controls. Moreover, short sleep duration significantly correlated with an increased SD risk (OR, 1.14, 95 percent CI, 1.06‒1.22; p<0.001; heterogeneity: I², 0.0 percent; p=0.849).

“The risk of SD is significantly increased in patients with sleep disorders and poor sleep quality, indicating that clinicians should monitor sleep among patients with SD,” the authors said.