Effects of napping on neuromuscular fatigue in myasthenia gravis.

INTRODUCTION

The relationship between sleep and neuromuscular fatigue is understood poorly. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of napping on quantitative measures of neuromuscular fatigue in patients with myasthenia gravis (MG).

METHODS

Eight patients with mild to moderate MG were recruited. Patients underwent maintenance of wakefulness tests (MWT) and multiple sleep latency tests (MSLT). The Quantitative Myasthenia Gravis Score (QMGS) was measured before nap and after each nap to examine the effects of napping and sleep on neuromuscular weakness.

RESULTS

Results showed that QMGS improves only after naps where patients slept more than 5 min but not where patients did not sleep or slept less than 5 min.

CONCLUSIONS

Daytime napping mitigates neuromuscular fatigue in patients with MG, especially if patients slept for more than 5 min.