Better composite sleep health was associated with lower levels of fatigue among hemodialysis patients, with age exhibiting a significant moderation effect on the relationship between sleep health and fatigue.
Multidimensional sleep health was significantly and inversely associated with overall fatigue in hemodialysis patients after adjusting for covariates.
Better multidimensional sleep health was significantly associated with lower physical fatigue scores.
Better multidimensional sleep health was significantly associated with lower mental fatigue scores.
Age significantly moderated the relationship between sleep health and overall fatigue.
Age also significantly moderated the relationship between sleep health and mental fatigue specifically.
The study sample of 249 hemodialysis patients had mean scores of 7.15 ± 3.27 for fatigue and 7.53 ± 2.57 for sleep health.
This research suggests that among patients receiving hemodialysis (a kidney replacement therapy requiring regular hospital visits), those who had better overall sleep health experienced less fatigue — both physical and mental. The study enrolled 249 hemodialysis patients in Nanjing, China, and measured their sleep quality using a multidimensional tool called RU_SATED 2.0, which captures multiple aspects of sleep rather than just duration. Fatigue was measured with a standardized 14-item scale. On average, participants showed meaningful levels of both fatigue and sleep problems, consistent with what is commonly seen in this patient population. After accounting for factors like age, lifestyle, and disease-related laboratory values, better sleep health remained strongly linked to lower fatigue scores. This held true for both the physical and mental components of fatigue. Notably, the researchers found that age plays a moderating role: the protective relationship between good sleep and reduced fatigue was somewhat different depending on how old the patient was, with the effect on mental fatigue in particular varying by age group. This research suggests that sleep health — viewed as a multidimensional concept rather than simply hours of sleep — may be a clinically relevant target for managing fatigue in hemodialysis patients. Because fatigue is one of the most debilitating symptoms in this population and significantly affects quality of life, interventions aimed at improving multiple dimensions of sleep health could potentially help reduce fatigue burden. However, since this was a cross-sectional study conducted at a single center in China, causal conclusions cannot be drawn, and findings may not generalize to all hemodialysis populations.
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Upload Your LabsChen G, Wang M, Xu X, Shang X, Li S. (2026). Multidimensional sleep health and its association with fatigue among patients undergoing hemodialysis in China.. Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-026-03789-7