Results suggest that afternoon naps less than 90 minutes may be beneficial for cognition in older adults, while long afternoon naps may be detrimental.

Changes in sleep and cognition occur with advancing age. While both may occur independently of each other, it is possible that alterations in sleep parameters may increase the risk of age-related cognitive changes. This review aimed to understand the relationship between sleep parameters (sleep latency, wake after sleep onset, sleep efficiency, sleep duration, general sleep complaints) and cognition in community-dwelling adults aged 60 years and older without sleep disorders. Systematic, computer-aided searches were conducted using multiple sleep and cognition-related search terms in PubMed, PsycINFO, and CINAHL. Twenty-nine manuscripts met the inclusion criteria. Results suggest an inconsistent relationship between sleep parameters and cognition in older adults and modifiers such as depressive symptoms, undiagnosed sleep apnea and other medical conditions may influence their association. Measures of sleep and cognition were heterogeneous. Future studies should aim to further clarify the association between sleep parameters and cognitive domains by simultaneously using both objective and subjective measures of sleep parameters. Identifying which sleep parameters to target may lead to the development of novel targets for interventions and reduce the risk of cognitive changes with aging.

Insomnia and other sleep complaints are highly prevalent in community-dwelling older adults yet often go under detected. Age-related physiological changes may affect sleep, but sleep disturbances and complaints should not be considered normal in this population. Various physiological, psychological, and social consequences have been associated with insomnia and sleep complaints. Treatment options are available so it is imperative to diagnose and treat these individuals to promote healthy aging. Exercise is known to have a wide variety of health benefits, but unfortunately most older adults engage in less exercise with advancing age. This paper describes age-related changes in sleep, clinical correlates of insomnia, consequences of untreated insomnia, and nonpharmacological treatments for insomnia in older adults, with a focus on the relationship between exercise and sleep in community-dwelling older adults with insomnia or sleep complaints. Possible mechanisms explaining the relationship between exercise and sleep are discussed. While the research to date shows promising evidence for exercise as a safe and effective treatment for insomnia and sleep complaints in community-dwelling older adults, future research is needed before exercise can be a first-line treatment for insomnia and sleep complaints in this population.

Objective/Background Positive airway pressure (PAP) is highly efficacious treatment but non-adherence is prevalent with little improvement over the last 15 years. Tailored interventions show promise for promoting adherence to other treatments. The objective of this study was to examine the feasibility/acceptability of a tailored intervention to promote PAP adherence. Participants Convenience sample met inclusion criteria: newly-diagnosed OSA; treatment-naïve; ≥18 years. Exclusion criteria: previous OSA diagnosis/treatment; new psychiatric diagnosis; use of oxygen/bi-level PAP; secondary sleep disorder. Adults (n=118) were randomized to tailored intervention (TI; n=61) or usual care (UC; n=57); application of a priori exclusion criteria resulted in 30 participants/assignment who were middle-aged (51.3 ± 11.1 years) adults (70% male) with severe OSA (apnea hypopnea index [AHI], 35.9 ± 25.2). Methods Randomized, double-blind, single-site pilot controlled trial. A multi-phased tailored intervention targeting social cognitive perceptions of OSA/PAP treatment was delivered at four intervals. Descriptive analysis, group differences and self-efficacy change scores by t-test, and thematic analysis of acceptability data are reported. Results One-week PAP use among TI was 35 minutes greater than UC condition (p=0.20; Cohen’s d = 0.336). Treatment use decreased at 1-month and 3-months (NS). Per-protocol delivery of face-to-face intervention delivery was 100% but lower for telephone intervention delivery. Blinding was successful. Personalized approach was valued by participants. Conclusions A tailored intervention approach is acceptable to participants and feasibly implemented in a clinical sleep center setting. The intervention effect size at 1-week is consistent with other educational PAP adherence interventions but was not sustained; further pilot testing is warranted to address pilot RCT limitations.

This cross-sectional study was conducted to describe the physical activity and sleep in 290 community-dwelling Chinese older adults and to examine the association between physical activity and poor sleep outcomes. Almost half of the samples were poor sleepers. The majority of the samples regularly participated in walking, some household activity, and light sports, yet only a small portion were involved in work-related activity or in strenuous sports. A greater level of overall physical activity (odds ratio = 0.79; 95% confidence interval = [0.73, 0.86]), leisure-time exercise (odds ratio = 0.77; 95% confidence interval = [0.68, 0.85]), and household activity (odds ratio = 0.66; 95% confidence interval = [0.56, 0.78]) were associated with reduced likelihood of being poor sleepers and other poor sleep outcomes, independent of covariates including age, sex, education, family income, the number of children, drinking, and sleep hygiene. Future larger-scale studies that incorporate both objective and subjective measures are needed to further examine the association and to explore the effects of different types of activity on sleep and other well-beings in older adults.