Psoriasis Tied to Increased Risk for Sleep Disorders

Psoriasis was significantly associated with restless leg syndrome, insomnia, and obstructive sleep apnea

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, June 2, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Both mild and moderate-to-severe psoriasis are significantly associated with an increased risk for sleep disorders, according to a study published online May 13 in JEADV Clinical Practice.

Michael J. Diaz, from the College of Medicine at the University of Florida in Gainesville, and colleagues quantified the extent to which psoriasis severity correlates with the risk for developing specific sleep disorders. The analysis included 7,743 adults with psoriasis identified from the All of Us database matched 1:4 to age-, sex-, and race/ethnicity-matched controls.

The researchers found that mild psoriasis was significantly associated with restless leg syndrome, insomnia, and obstructive sleep apnea when adjusting for sociodemographic variables and comorbidities. The associations were even stronger with moderate-to-severe psoriasis. The risk for sleep disorder was magnified in non-White patients, particularly for insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea.

“By highlighting these variations in a nationally diverse sample, we underscore the necessity for personalized, culturally sensitive approaches in the clinical management of psoriasis and its associated comorbidities,” the authors write. “Study limitations include the use of electronic health records and potential for diagnostic misclassification.”

Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.