Can schizophrenia cause long-term insomnia?

Generally, some patients with schizophrenia may experience long-term insomnia, while others can maintain normal sleep after treatment, depending on how well their condition is controlled. If there are concerns, it is recommended to seek medical advice promptly. The details are as follows:

If a patient's schizophrenia symptoms are not effectively controlled—such as the presence of hallucinations, delusions, disorganized thinking, or accompanying anxiety and depression—these factors can continuously disrupt the sleep cycle, leading to difficulty falling asleep, light sleep, frequent awakenings, and eventually chronic insomnia, which negatively affects daytime functioning and disease recovery.

If the patient’s condition is stable, they are regularly taking antipsychotic medications (some of which have sedative effects), and there are no significant mood fluctuations or external disturbances, the sleep rhythm can gradually return to normal without developing long-term insomnia. Temporary insomnia may occur only during periods of symptom fluctuation and can be relieved by adjusting the treatment plan.

When insomnia occurs in patients with schizophrenia, they should promptly inform their doctor and must not self-administer sleep aids. It is important to maintain a regular daily routine, avoid exposure to stimulating content before bedtime, and prevent worsening insomnia that could compromise disease stability.