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Updated: Apr 4, 2026

Multi-Modal Home Sleep Monitoring in Older Adults
Published on: January 26, 2019
Effect of caregiving status on the sleep of older New Zealanders
Rosemary Gibson1, Philippa Gander1, Fiona Alpass2
1Sleep/Wake Research Centre, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand.
Aims:
To investigate relationships between caregiving and subjective sleep reports among older New Zealanders.
Methods:
Participants were 434 carers (177 home-based) and 1747 non-carers (aged 55-72 years) who completed the 2008 Health Work and Retirement survey. Sleep outcomes (feeling worn out, tired, or dissatisfied with sleep or having a diagnosed sleep disorder) were explored by caregiving status. Logistic regression was used to investigate caregiving as an independent predictor of poor sleep health after controlling for other demographic variables.
Results:
Home-based carers were more likely to report feeling tired some/all of the time than non-carers (odds ratio 1.6, 95% confidence interval 1.1-2.2). Being Māori, a woman, younger or more socioeconomically deprived (New Zealand Deprivation Index 2006) were also significant independent predictors of poor sleep outcomes.
Conclusions:
Carers are at increased risk of feeling tired in the daytime. Early recognition and management of underlying sleep problems are particularly important for older people providing care at home.
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