Gender Differences in Sleep Disturbance among Elderly Koreans: Hallym Aging Study

Abstract

Sleep is an important component in our lives as it is necessary throughout one’s entire life span. This study was conducted to elucidate whether there are gender differences in sleep quality and what factors can affect sleep quality in community-dwelling elderly Koreans. A total of 382 subjects (175 males and 207 females) were recruited among elderly aged 45 or over who participated in the 2010 Hallym Aging Study (HAS). They were invited to a general hospital and were evaluated for socioeconomic status, smoking history, and various clinical measures. Sleep quality was assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). A higher score indicates poorer subjective sleep quality, (PSQI global score > 5 suggests sleep disturbance). After adjusting for potential covariates, our results show that alcohol increases the odds for poor sleep (odds ratio [OR] = 3.35, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.11–10.10) in males. In females, lack of exercise was the major risk factor of poor sleep as they are 4.46 times more likely to suffer from low sleep quality than those who exercise regularly (95% CI=1.56–13.75). Stress was also a risk factor for poor sleep. It was 5.60 times higher in the “always have stress” group than the “do not have stress” group (95% CI = 1.54–20.34). Thus, alcohol consumption is associated with men’s sleep quality, while exercise and stress level affect women’s.

Prevalence and associated factors of poor sleep quality among Chinese older adults living in a rural area: a population-based study

“…In the present study, we found that female gender was associated with an increased likelihood of poor sleep quality, which is in line with the current view that women are more prone than men to experiencing sleep disorders [32][33][34]. The epidemiologic studies have indeed frequently indicated that female gender is an independent risk factor for sleep disorders [35,36].…”

The Relationship among Chronic Disease, Feeling-for-Their-Age, Sleep Quality, Health-Related Quality of Life and Activities of Daily Living of Community-Dwelling Persons over 55 Years of Age

“…There is no relation between diabetes and the sleep quality [37]. The result of this research supports the latter report.…”

“…It is reported that insomnia is often found in women [36] and the sleep quality is worse than in men [37]. However, this study did not clearly show the relationship between gender and the sleep quality, although it is reported that there is a relationship between insomnia and bodily pain [35] [36], it was not clarified in this study.…”

Sleep Quality and Its Contributing Factors Among Elderly People: A Descriptive-Analytical Study

“…Lee et al (19), Quan et al (20), and Sheikhy et al (15) also reported the same finding. An explanation for this finding may be the differences among men and women respecting their biological and psychological responses to stress.…”