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Sleep fragmentation in patients from a nursing home
S Ancoli-Israel1, L Parker, R Sinaee
1Department of Psychiatry, University of California-San Diego.
Journal of Gerontology
|January 1, 1989
Summary
Elderly individuals in nursing homes experience significantly disrupted sleep, requiring more time in bed to achieve sleep similar to independently living seniors. This highlights challenges in geriatric sleep quality.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Sleep Medicine
- Geriatric Care
Background:
- Institutionalized elderly individuals are often perceived to have disturbed sleep patterns.
- Empirical data on the sleep quality of nursing home residents is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To objectively quantify sleep patterns in institutionalized elderly persons.
- To compare sleep duration and efficiency in nursing home residents versus independently living elderly individuals.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a modified Respitrace-Medilog portable recording system for sleep monitoring.
- Recorded sleep data from 200 residents (mean age 81.9 years) in a skilled nursing facility.
- Analyzed recordings averaging 15.4 hours per patient.
Main Results:
- Patients slept an average of 7 hours and 58 minutes, with 7 hours and 28 minutes spent awake.
- Sleep efficiency was low, with residents averaging only 39.5 minutes of sleep per hour.
- 50% of patients woke 2-3 times per hour, indicating fragmented sleep.
Conclusions:
- Nursing home residents require substantially more time in bed to achieve sleep duration comparable to independently living elderly.
- Sleep fragmentation is a significant issue for institutionalized elderly, impacting overall sleep quality.
- Findings underscore the need for interventions to improve sleep in long-term care settings.