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Updated: Jun 14, 2026
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Multi-Modal Home Sleep Monitoring in Older Adults
Published on: January 26, 2019
Rest/activity rhythms and mortality rates in older men: MrOS Sleep Study
Misti L Paudel1, Brent C Taylor, Sonia Ancoli-Israel
1Division of Epidemiology & Community Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. ames0047@umn.edu
Chronobiology International
|April 8, 2010
Summary
Disrupted rest/activity circadian rhythms (RAR) in older men are linked to higher mortality. Less robust rhythms and earlier activity timing significantly increase all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality risks.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Chronobiology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Disruptions in rest/activity circadian rhythms (RAR) are associated with increased mortality in specific adult populations.
- The association between RAR disruptions and mortality in the general older adult population remains understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between rest/activity circadian rhythm parameters and all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related mortality in older men.
- To explore specific RAR parameters, including acrophase, amplitude, mesor, pseudo F-value, beta, and alpha, in relation to mortality risk.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 2964 men aged 67 years and older from the Outcomes of Sleep Disorders in Older Men (MrOS Sleep) Study.
- Rest/activity patterns were objectively measured using wrist actigraphy.
- RAR parameters were computed and analyzed in quintiles, with adjustments for multiple potential confounders.
Main Results:
- Men in the lowest quintile of pseudo F-value (indicating less robust circadian rhythmicity) exhibited a 57% higher mortality rate.
- This association was more pronounced for cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related mortality, with a 2.32-fold higher rate in the lowest pseudo F-value quintile.
- Men in the lowest quintile of acrophase (earlier peak activity timing) showed a 2.8-fold higher rate of CVD-related mortality.
Conclusions:
- Older men with less robust rest/activity circadian rhythms and earlier acrophase timing face modestly elevated risks of all-cause and CVD-related mortality.
- Specific parameters like pseudo F-value and acrophase timing are significantly associated with mortality risk, while amplitude, mesor, alpha, and beta were not independently linked.
- Further research is warranted to elucidate the underlying biological mechanisms connecting circadian rhythm disruptions to mortality in older men.
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