Evaluation of Sleep Quality in Patients with Migraine Attacks Presenting to the Emergency Department

Objective: To investigate the sleep quality of adult patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with migraine attacks and explore the correlations with age, gender, and education period. The aim of this study was to compare the sleepiness scores and sleep quality of migraine patients presenting to the ED with severe migraine attacks with those of healthy controls.
Material and Methods: This cross-sectional prospective study, adult migraine patients seeking care at the ED of a tertiary hospital over a 1-month period. Fifty-seven migraine patients and 25 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were enrolled in the study. A single medical professional utilized the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) to assess each patient’s headache-related disability.
Results: Patients with migraine attacks had significantly higher PSQI scores than the healthy control group (6.75±4.57 vs. 4.08±2.12; p=0.020). No substantial differences were observed in the PSQI between patient groups using the ESS. In patients with migraine attacks, ESS was significantly positive and strongly correlated with education level (rho=0.294, p=0.007) but not age.
Conclusion: This study highlighted a significant independent association between poor sleep quality and an increased risk of migraine attacks. Strengthening the assessment of sleep quality using the PSQI is valuable for the early prevention and treatment of migraine patients.

Keywords: Migraine, sleep quality, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Epworth Sleepiness Scale