Sleeping Well, Aging Well: A Descriptive and Cross-Sectional Study of Sleep in “Successful Agers” 75 and Older

Abstract

Objectives-To examine diary-based, laboratory-based, and actigraphic measures of sleep in a group of healthy older women and men (≥75 years of age) without sleep/wake complaints and to describe sleep characteristics which may be correlates of health-related quality of life in old age.Design-Cross-sectional, descriptive study. Setting-University-based sleep and chronobiology program. Intervention-None.Participants-Sixty-four older adults (30 women, 34 men; mean age 79) Measurements-We used diary-, actigraphic-, and laboratory-based measures of sleep, healthrelated quality of life, mental health, social support, and coping strategies. We used two-group t-tests to compare baseline demographic and clinical measures between men and women, followed by ANOVA on selected EEG measures to examine first-night effects as evidence of physiological adaptability. Finally, we examined correlations between measure of sleep and health-related quality of life.Results-We observed that healthy men and women aged 75 and older can experience satisfactory nocturnal sleep quality and daytime alertness, especially as reflected in self-report and diary-based measures. Polysomnography (psg) suggested the presence of a first-night effect, especially in men, consistent with continued normal adaptability in this cohort of healthy older adults. Continuity and depth of sleep in older women were superior to that of men. Diary-based measures of sleep quality (but not psg measures) correlated positively (small to moderate effect sizes) with physical and mental health-related quality of life.Conclusions-Sleep quality and daytime alertness in late life may be more important aspects of successful aging than previously appreciated. Good sleep may be a marker of good functioning across a variety of domains in old age. Our observations suggest the need to study interventions which protect sleep quality in older adults to determine if doing so fosters continued successful aging. Sleep quality is an important parameter of health-related quality of life in older adults, and it is possibly a correlate of continuing adaptability in later life. 1,2 However, sleep disturbances are common in later life, particularly beyond 75 years, with loss of nocturnal sleep continuity and depth. [1][2][3] Diminution in sleep quality may presage a decline in overall health status. Thus, as Shakespeare's Macbeth observed of "sleep that knits the raveled sleeve of care," (Macbeth, Act II, Scene II), learning how to protect sleep in later life may be important to continued healthy aging.According to Rowe and Kahn, 4 "successful aging" can be characterized by avoidance of disease, maintenance of high cognitive and physical function, and continued engagement with life. Given the evidence that behavioral factors like diet, smoking, and exercise affect one's ability to age successfully, 5 studying the effect of sleep on adaptability and overall well-being observed in healthy aging may also be informative. As the discussion of how to define "healthy aging" continues, 6 this ...

Dependent negative life events and sleep quality: An examination of gene–environment interplay

“…Furthermore, contrary to much of the previous literature (for example, see 2) we found no sex differences in sleep quality. Whilst this finding was unexpected, this result conforms with other reports which have not found evidence for statistically significant sex differences in global sleep quality score measured by the PSQI (59)(60)(61)(62). An additional limitation regards our use of twins in the present study.…”

Self-Reported Sleep Quality, Duration, and Health-Related Quality of Life in Older Chinese: Evidence From a Rural Town in Suzhou, China

“…34 The contrasting finding has been reported by the HK study, which found a prevalence of only 22% good sleep quality. This was partially due to the oversampling of women who appear more likely to report experiences of sleep disturbances compared to men.…”

Can subjective sleep quality, evaluated at the age of 73, have an influence on successful aging? The PROOF study

“…These percentages appear high but are also an argument underlining the idea that sleep quality is a decisive factor for successful aging. Other studies show similar results: Driscoll et al in a population of 64 persons, aged 75 and over, highlighted a significant association between a better perceived physical state of health evaluated by the SF-36 questionnaire and better sleep quality assessed by the PSQI [17]. There was also no relationship between objective sleep parameters and quality of life.…”