Thyroid Nodules and Sleep Disorders

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore the association between thyroid nodules and sleep disorders among adult patients diagnosed with thyroid nodules. Demographic data were obtained, and baseline thyroid nodule characteristics were evaluated using thyroid ultrasonography. The Symptoms Scale and Pittsburgh Sleep Scale were used to measure the sleep status of the patients. Overall, 180 participants with a mean age of 50 ± 12.7 years were included in this study. The majority of patients had TI-RADS grade 3 (80.14%), TI-RADS grade 4 (18.82%), and multiple nodules (70%). Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score (PSQI) revealed that 88.89% of the participants had PSQI scores > 5, indicating sleep disorders, with a mean PSQI score of 10.7 ± 3.6. Analysis of PSQI scores based on nodule length and TI-RADS grades showed no significant differences. In conclusion, patients with thyroid nodules experienced sleep disorders greatly, with difficulty falling asleep, poor subjective sleep quality, daytime fatigue, and short sleep time having a more significant impact on thyroid nodules, especially high-risk and small thyroid nodules. Our findings emphasize the importance of addressing sleep disturbances in patients with thyroid nodules to improve their quality of life and potentially mitigate the impact of thyroid diseases.