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Updated: Feb 24, 2026
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Multi-Modal Home Sleep Monitoring in Older Adults
Published on: January 26, 2019
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Actigraphic sleep characteristics among older Americans
Lianne M Kurina1, Ronald A Thisted2, Jen-Hao Chen3
1Department of Medicine, Section of General Medical Disciplines, Stanford University School of Medicine, 450 Serra Mall, Bldg 20, Stanford, CA 94305-2160.
Sleep Health
|August 18, 2017
Summary
Objective sleep measures reveal older Americans average 7.2 hours of sleep nightly. Sleep quality varies by sex, race, and education, with men, African Americans, and less educated individuals experiencing poorer sleep.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Sleep Medicine
- Public Health
Background:
- Objective sleep data from a representative US older adult sample are lacking.
- Previous sleep research often relies on subjective self-reports, which can be inaccurate.
Purpose of the Study:
- To objectively measure sleep characteristics in a national sample of US adults aged 62-90 using actigraphy.
- To examine how sleep properties differ across demographic, socioeconomic, and health-behavioral factors.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional sleep sub-study within the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project (NSHAP).
- 739 participants aged 62-90 wore wrist actigraphs for 72 hours to record sleep.
- Sleep parameters were analyzed and compared across various subgroups.
Main Results:
- Average sleep duration was 7.2 hours, with 80% sleeping between 5.8 and 8.6 hours.
- Average time awake after sleep onset (WASO) was 39 minutes; sleep fragmentation was also measured.
- Women reported more total sleep time and less fragmentation than men. Sleep duration increased with age, but sleep percentage decreased.
- African Americans had significantly higher WASO and fragmentation than White participants.
- Lower education levels correlated with higher WASO and lower sleep percentage.
Conclusions:
- Short (<6 hours) and long (>9 hours) sleep durations are uncommon in older Americans based on actigraphy.
- Sleep quality is demonstrably poorer in men, African Americans, and individuals with less formal education.
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