Buchwald, D, Pascualy, R, Bombardier, C et al. · Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 1994 · DOI
This study looked at sleep problems in 59 people with chronic fatigue, most of whom had ME/CFS. Researchers found that 81% had at least one sleep disorder—most commonly sleep apnea—that might be treatable. Importantly, these sleep problems occurred whether or not people met the full criteria for ME/CFS, suggesting they are a separate issue worth investigating and treating.
This study highlights that sleep disorders are common in ME/CFS and may be independently treatable, rather than simply a symptom of ME/CFS itself. Identifying and treating coexisting sleep disorders could improve quality of life and fatigue severity in chronically fatigued patients, even if ME/CFS itself remains.
This study does not establish whether sleep disorders cause ME/CFS, result from it, or are coincidental. The highly selected patient population screened for sleep symptoms may not represent all ME/CFS patients, limiting generalizability. Correlation between sleep disorders and fatigue does not prove causation.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Buchwald, D, Pascualy, R, Bombardier, C, & Kith, P (1994). Sleep disorders in patients with chronic fatigue.. Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. https://doi.org/10.1093/clinids/18.supplement_1.s68
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-buchwald-1994-sleep-disorders,
author = {Buchwald, D and Pascualy, R and Bombardier, C and Kith, P},
title = {Sleep disorders in patients with chronic fatigue.},
journal = {Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America},
year = {1994},
doi = {10.1093/clinids/18.supplement_1.s68},
note = {PubMed: 8148456},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/buchwald-1994-sleep-disorders},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/buchwald-1994-sleep-disorders
Contribute
Private, reviewed by a human. Not a public comment thread.