Daytime sleepiness: a risk factor for poor social engagement among the elderly

Abstract

Yao-Tung Lee and Chia-Fen Tsai have equal contribution to this article. AbstractBackground: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between social engagement and daytime sleepiness among aged residents of a veterans' housing facility in Taiwan. Methods: A total of 597 men were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Each subject was assessed with the Resident Assessment InstrumentMinimum Data Set, Geriatric Depression Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and Mini-Mental State Examination. Social engagement was measured with the Index of Social Engagement (ISE), and daytime sleepiness was defined according to the relevant Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index subcomponent. Subjects were divided into two groups according to their ISE levels. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to examine the association between ISE and other variables. Results: The sample's mean age was 80.8 1 5.0 years (range: 65-99 years). Mean ISE score was 1.5 1 1.3 (range 0-5), with 52% of participants reporting poor social engagement (ISE = 0-1). Mean Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index global score was 5.6 1 3.6 (range: 0-18), and 31% of participants reported daytime sleepiness. The analysis was adjusted for level of depression, cognitive impairment, dependence in activities of daily life, unsettled relationships, and illiteracy. After adjustment, daytime sleepiness was found to be independently associated with subjects' level of social engagement (odds ratio: 2.5; 95% confidence interval: 1.7-3.8; P < 0.001). Conclusions: Daytime sleepiness and poor social engagement are common among aged residents of a veterans' housing facility. Subjects experiencing daytime sleepiness but not poor general sleep quality were at increased risk of poor social engagement. The clinical care of older residents must focus on improving daytime sleepiness to enhance their social engagement.

Association of sleep condition and social frailty in community‐dwelling older people

“…EDS has been suggested to have a negative effect on geriatric functional status, including social outcomes, which was composed of hosting visitors and visiting others . Additionally, a previous study showed that EDS, but not poor general sleep quality, was associated with an increased risk of decreased social engagement . These results confirm the present results showing that EDS might have a negative effect on social frailty.…”

“…One study showed that short sleep duration was associated with social frailty among middle‐aged and older people therefore, there is a need to show this association among only older people, as this is especially important to maintain social function. Similarly, EDS was reported to be associated with poor social engagement among older men or social activity . Although social activity and engagement were included within the domain of social frailty, additional evidence is required to show the association between sleep condition and social frailty, which could be achieved by comprehensively assessing social function.…”

Multimodal Emotion Recognition Is Resilient to Insufficient Sleep: Results From Cross-Sectional and Experimental Studies

“…A further, though significantly smaller, study followed 11 participants over two weeks and observed that the amount of time spent in SWS was associated with an increase in the amount of time participants spent with other people (as objectively measured using a wearable device) (Butt, Ouarda, Quan, Pentland, & Khayal, 2015). In elderly adults, a cross-sectional study showed that an increase in daytime sleepiness was associated with less social engagement (Lee et al, 2013). Overall, the initial evidence appears to suggest that sleep is predictive of both the desire to socialise as well as how much individuals enjoy social interactions.…”

Habitual Sleep Duration, Unmet Sleep Need, and Excessive Daytime Sleepiness in Korean Adults

“… 1 2 Sleepiness lowers the ability of an individual to perform various daytime functions, and is a risk factor for traffic accidents and occupational injuries. 3 4 5 Sleepiness also has negative effects on general health, social engagement, and quality of life, 6 7 8 and has been associated with cardiovascular disease and metabolic abnormality. 9 10 11 12 13 14 These findings have led to daytime sleepiness receiving increasing attention as an important public health issue.…”