Sleep Duration and Sleep Quality Are Associated with Physical Activity in Elderly People Living in Nursing Homes

The main purpose of the study was to explore the associations of sleep duration and sleep quality with physical activity (PA). In this cross-sectional study, participants were 894 elderly individuals (mean age 80 ± 3 years; 56.0% women) living in nursing homes. PA, sleep duration, and sleep quality (based on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)) were self-reported. The associations of sleep duration and sleep quality with PA at the nursing home level were analyzed using generalized estimating equations with clustering. Participants reporting short sleep duration (<6 h; OR = 0.45; 95% CI 0.25⁻0.80) were less likely to report sufficient PA, yet those reporting long sleep duration (>9 h; OR = 2.61; 95% CI 1.35⁻5.02) and good sleep quality (<5 points; OR = 1.59; 95% CI 1.19⁻2.12) were more likely to report sufficient PA. When sleep duration and sleep quality were entered into the same model, the same associations remained. This study shows that elderly individuals who report short sleep duration are less likely to meet PA guidelines, while those who report long sleep duration and good sleep quality are more likely to meet PA guidelines. Strategies aiming to improve sleep duration and sleep quality are warranted.