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Updated: Jun 19, 2026
07:40
Multi-Modal Home Sleep Monitoring in Older Adults
Published on: January 26, 2019
Gender-specific association between self-reported sleep duration and falls in high-functioning older adults
Hsu-Ko Kuo1, Cheryl C H Yang, Yau-Hua Yu
1Division of Gerontology Research, Institute of Population Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, 3 Yuanqu Street, Taipei 115, Taiwan. cychen@ntumc.org
Summary
Short sleep duration increases fall risk in women, but not men. Sleep deprivation is an independent risk factor for falls in older women, highlighting a need for targeted interventions.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Sleep Medicine
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Sleep disturbances are linked to fall risk factors like cognitive decline and depression.
- Limited research exists on gender-specific associations between sleep duration and falls.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the gender-specific relationship between sleep duration and the incidence of falls in older adults.
- To identify if short sleep duration is an independent risk factor for falls in women and men.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 256 older adults (135 women, 121 men) from a hospital-based elderly program participated.
- Sleep duration was categorized ( <5, 5-7.9, ≥8 hours), with short sleep defined as <5 hours.
- Logistic regression analyzed the association between sleep duration and self-reported falls in the past year, approximating risk ratios.
Main Results:
- Sleep duration was inversely associated with falls in women; each hour decrease in sleep duration increased fall odds (OR=1.95).
- Women with short sleep duration (<5 hours) had a significantly higher risk of falls (RR=2.98).
- No significant association between sleep duration and falls was observed in men.
Conclusions:
- Sleep deprivation is an independent risk factor for falls specifically in older women.
- Short sleep duration serves as a potential indicator for identifying women at elevated risk of falling.
- Findings suggest gender-specific sleep health interventions may be crucial for fall prevention in the elderly.
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