Insomnia Common Among Cancer Patients Treated with Chemotherapy

In a recent study of cancer patients treated with chemotherapy, sleep disorders such as insomnia are surprisingly common and may become chronic conditions.

Published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the research examined 823 cancer patients and found nearly three in four suffering from a sleep disorder, nearly three times the rate of the general population. Younger patients and those with lung or breast cancers were especially at risk.

The concern is that the sleep problems may lead to fatigue and depression and may adversely affect their long-term cancer survival. Fortunately, insomnia and other sleep problems are very treatable conditions.