Is Poor Quality Sleep Present in Older Adults With Worse Social and Health Status?

Abstract

Objective: to analyze the relationship among sleep and sociodemographic aspects, health, frailty, performance in activities of daily living, cognitive performance and depressive symptoms of older residents in the community. Method: a cross-sectional, quantitative study was conducted with 81 older adults residents in the area covered by a Family Health Unit in the city of São Carlos (SP), Brazil. Data collection occurred in 2019, through the application of the following instruments: questionnaire for socioeconomic and health characterization of the older adult, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Frailty Phenotype proposed by Linda Fried, Mini Mental State Examination, Geriatric Depression Scale, Katz Index and Lawton Scale. Participants were divided into comparative groups according to sleep quality scores. Fisher's exact and Pearson's χ2 were used. A significance level of 5% was adopted. Results: 50.6% of the older adults had poor quality sleep (n=41), followed by 33.3% of older adults with good quality sleep (n=27) and 16.1% had sleep disorders (n=13). There was a relationship between sleep quality and sex (p=0.008), work status (p=0.001), self-assessment of health (p=0.013), falls (p=0.034), pain (p=0.012), frailty level (p=0.026) and the slow gait criterion (p<0.001). Conclusion: there was a higher prevalence of poor quality sleep and sleep disorders in older patients, who do not work outside the home, who evaluated their health as regular or poor, who suffered falls in the last year and who complained of pain, frailty and slow gait.

Relação entre duração do sono, sintomas depressivos e estresse em pessoas idosas da comunidade

“…Os transtornos do sono são considerados frequentes na população idosa 3,25 . Na amostra estudada, 71,6% apresentaram distúrbios do sono leve e, em sua maioria ,não faziam uso de nenhum medicamento para dormir (72,4%), corroborando o descrito na literatura nacional e internacional 24,26 .…”

“…No que se refere à caracterização da amostra, as idosas possuíam em média 70,9 anos, com escolaridade de 3,24 anos em média, e apresentavam renda individual de R$ 1.047,13 reais, com renda familiar de R$ 2.060,10. Em sua maioria, tinham companheiro e eram brancas e aposentadas, conforme estudos nacionais e internacionais realizados com populações de pessoas idosas da comunidade 1,3,22 .…”

“…O sono é uma condição fisiológica fundamental para o transcurso natural de restauração dos sistemas necessários para a manutenção da vida. Ao envelhecer, a qualidade e a duração do sono podem ser afetadas por alterações circadianas endógenas e metabólicas 2,3 . Mudanças no padrão de sono em indivíduos mais velhos podem estar relacionadas a idade, qualidade de vida, declínio físico e transtornos cognitivos 2 .…”

“…Há evidências na literatura de que as mulheres apresentam mais queixas relacionadas à saúde, reconhecem com mais facilidade sinais e sintomas de agravos e buscam com mais regularidade serviços de saúde 3 .…”

A nationwide study on sleep complaints and associated factors in older adults: ELSI-Brazil

“…Some associated factors for sleep problems in older adults have already been identified, such as female sex 12 , lack of partners 13 , poor education 14 , low socioeconomic status 14 , use of medication (e.g., antidepressants) 15 , chronic diseases 16 , depression 17 , and sedentary behavior 3 .…”