Association Between Social and Physical Activities and Insomnia Symptoms Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults

To examine the association between organized social activity, walking exercise, and insomnia symptoms.

Data for analysis are derived from the National Health Aging Trends Study (NHATS). At baseline, demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, health-related behaviors, sleep-related problems, and health status were assessed using questionnaires.

Data for 7,162 community-dwelling older adults were available for analysis. Difficulty falling asleep, trouble staying asleep, and both insomnia symptoms were reported by 12%, 5%, and 11% of the participants, respectively. The proportion of participants who reported engaging in organized social activity, walking exercise, and both activities were 11%, 35%, and 26%, respectively. Participants who reported engaging in organized social activity and/or walking exercise were significantly less likely to report insomnia symptoms.

These results have important implications for future studies that plan to implement nonpharmacological interventions for management of insomnia among older adults.