Background: Sleep disturbances frequently emerge as a prevalent concern among PLHIV, predominantly attributed to the compounding factors of societal stigmatization and the harmful impacts of antiretroviral medications. Poor sleep quality is a public health and clinical problem; it is linked to an increased risk of well-being and quality of life. Even though PLHIV is one of the central vulnerable populations of poor sleep quality, there is a scarcity of global data regarding poor sleep quality among PLHIV.

Methods: This review followed guidelines provided in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) statement. We extracted the adjusted odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) from each study to assess the association between quality of sleep and PLHIV. Statistical analysis was undertaken using the extracted data from Review Manager 5.4.1 (Cochrane Collaboration). The chi-square test and I2 were used to measure how diverse the included studies were. Statistical heterogeneity was regarded as non-significant when p was >0.05. The random-effects model was used when I2 > 50% indicated high heterogeneity, and the fixed-effects model was applied when I2 > 50%.

Results: The prevalence of poor sleep quality ranges from 46.1 to 71%. Among the 3 articles, in the 2 articles, the prevalence of poor sleep quality among PLHIV was more than 50%, whereas only one article found a prevalence of 46.1%. The random effects model was used since high heterogeneity (I2 = 82%, p = 0.004) was observed. The pooled OR of 3 studies was 2.20 (95% CI: 1.40, 3.46), p (overall effect) = 0.0006), suggesting the poor quality of sleep among PLHIV.

Conclusions: Our systematic review and meta-analysis have illuminated both direct and indirect associations between poor sleep quality and individuals living with HIV. Our findings underscore the significance of screening for sleep-related issues in people living with HIV. To address this issue, future research should prioritize longitudinal investigations and intervention studies aimed at enhancing the sleep quality of individuals with HIV.