Everything you always wanted to know about sleep, but you were afraid to ask: expert concise guide and recommendations on assessing sleep-wake disturbances within a psychiatric context in contemporary times
OBJECTIVE: While disrupted sleep has long been linked to mental disorders there has been a notable decrease in interest and sleep-wake disorders have received low priority in psychiatric care. The aim of the paper was to present a concise guide for evaluating common sleep-wake disturbances within a psychiatric framework to revitalise the importance of sleep in psychiatry. METHODS: A systematic search strategy was conducted on the importance of sleep-wake assessment in psychiatry (search #1), the typology of sleep-wake disturbances in psychiatric practice (search #2), the guidelines on assessment of sleep-wake disturbances (search#3). Results were summarised and discussed in a narrative way. RESULTS: Evidence suggests that assessing sleep-wake disturbances improves prevention and treatment outcomes in psychiatric patients. Insomnia remains the most common disorder, though other sleep disturbances are highly prevalent. A structured two-step evaluation-combining initial patient clinical interviews with standardised self-report questionnaires-may assist in diagnosis and monitor outcomes. CONCLUSION: A concise guide on how to assess sleep-wake disturbances in psychiatry was summarised for psychiatric clinical practice.
Authors
- Andrea Fiorillo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6926-0762)
- Claudio Mencacci
- Dieter Wilhelm Riemann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1968-6220)
- Laura Palagini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1676-629X)
- Matteo Balestrieri (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4130-4281)
- Armando D’Agostino (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2126-799X)
- Anna Castelnovo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8875-9657)
- Andrea M. Fagiolini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5827-0853)
- Lino Nobili (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9317-5405)
- Gabriele Sani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9767-8752)
- Giovanni Martinotti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7292-2341)
- Gianluca Serafini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6631-856X)
- Claudio Liguori (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2845-1332)
- Pierre Alexis Geoffroy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9121-209X)
- Luigi Ferini Strambi
- Antonio Vita (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3621-6394)
- Bearnardo M. Dell’Osso
Institutions
- University of Siena (IT)
- University of Rome Tor Vergata (IT)
- Vita-Salute San Raffaele University (IT)
- Inserm (FR)
- University of Freiburg (DE)
- University of Milan (IT)
- University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli" (IT)
- Université Paris Cité (FR)
- University Medical Center Freiburg (DE)
- Istituto Giannina Gaslini (IT)
- Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic (IT)
- German Respiratory Society (DE)
- University of Chieti-Pescara (IT)
- Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale (CH)
- Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris (FR)
- Azienda Socio Sanitaria Territoriale degli Spedali Civili di Brescia (IT)
- Italian Society of Physiotherapy (IT)
- Stanford Medicine (US)
- FHU Neurovasc (FR)
- Hôpital Bichat-Claude-Bernard (FR)
- Ospedale Policlinico San Martino (IT)
- Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Pisana (IT)
- NeuroDiderot (FR)
- Azienda Socio Sanitaria Territoriale Santi Paolo e Carlo
- Groupe Hospitalo-Universitaire Paris Nord
- Università della Svizzera italiana (CH)
- University of Genoa (IT)
- Stanford University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice
- Published
- 2026-10-06
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1080/13651501.2026.2743008
- Primary Topic
- Sleep and related disorders
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00