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Multi-Modal Home Sleep Monitoring in Older Adults
Published on: January 26, 2019
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Do sleep complaints predict persistent fatigue in older adults?
1Geriatrics Section, Department of Medicine, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
|April 9, 2015
Summary
Older adults experiencing difficulty staying asleep or using sleep-promoting medications face a higher risk of persistent severe fatigue (PSF). Addressing sleep problems is crucial for improving fatigue in this population.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Sleep Medicine
- Public Health
Background:
- Persistent severe fatigue (PSF) significantly impacts the quality of life for older adults.
- Sleep disturbances are common in the elderly population and may contribute to fatigue.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between sleep complaints, use of sleep-promoting medications, and the development of persistent severe fatigue (PSF) in older adults.
- To identify specific sleep-related factors that predict PSF in a representative sample of Medicare beneficiaries.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from the National Health Aging Trends Study, including a representative sample of US Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older.
- Baseline assessments included sleep complaints (difficulty initiating or staying asleep), medication use, pain, depression, chronic diseases, physical activity, and physical performance.
- Persistent severe fatigue (PSF) was defined as fatigue limiting daily activities reported at both baseline and 12-month follow-up.
Main Results:
- Of 8,245 participants, 19% reported persistent severe fatigue (PSF) at 12-month follow-up.
- Difficulty staying asleep (some nights: OR=1.32; most/every night: OR=1.40) and nightly use of sleep-promoting medications (OR=1.35) were independent predictors of PSF.
- These associations remained significant after adjusting for demographic characteristics, pain, depression, chronic disease, and physical performance.
Conclusions:
- Difficulty staying asleep and regular use of sleep-promoting medications are associated with an increased risk of persistent severe fatigue in older adults.
- These findings highlight the importance of addressing sleep issues in geriatric populations to mitigate fatigue.
- Targeting sleep disturbances may offer a viable strategy for interventions aimed at reducing fatigue and improving daily functioning in older individuals.
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