Can chronic neuroleptic treatment promote sleep disturbances in elderly schizophrenic patients?

It has been proposed that sleep disturbances, especially reduced delta sleep, are related to a poor outcome in schizophrenia. To determine whether long‐term treatment with neuroleptics can promote sleep disturbances by increasing the risk of a nocturnal myoclonus syndrome (NMS) (=periodic movements in sleep) related insomnia, we performed all‐night polysomnography in 10 chronically ill schizophrenic patients who had been under neuroleptic therapy for a mean of 27 years. NMS‐related insomnia was detected in all 10 patients. Potential pathophysiological relationships between long‐term neuroleptic therapy and NMS occurrence are discussed. Our findings suggest that long‐term administration of neuroleptics favours the appearance of insomnia. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.