Study of sleep disorders in the elderly visiting geriatrics department

Sparse published data are available from India regarding sleep disorders in elderly, sleep quality, and daytime sleepiness.

To study sleep disturbances in the elderly (>60 years) subjects.

Hospital-based cross-sectional study.

All the subjects underwent a thorough clinical evaluation which included detailed history and a thorough physical examination. The daytime sleepiness was assessed using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). The sleep quality (SQ) was evaluated with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).

Association between categorical variables was studied by Chi-square (χ²) test with continuity correction. All tests were two-tailed; a P value <0.05 was considered as significant.

During the period November 2019 to July 2020, 122 elderly subjects were studied; women (n = 70; 57.4%) outnumbered men. Only six (4.9%) patients presented with sleep-related complaints. Seven (5.7%) patients had an ESS score >10 suggestive of increased day time sleepiness. Sixty-four (52.5%) were labelled "bad sleepers" (PSQI >5). Compared with those with ≤3 comorbid conditions, a higher proportion of elderly with >3 comorbid conditions had significantly higher occurrence of poor sleep quality (PSQI >5) and daytime sleepiness (ESS >10). Increased daytime sleepiness (ESS >10) was significantly high in patients with osteoarthritis and cerebrovascular disease.

Our observations suggest that a high proportion of elderly subjects who did not complain of sleep-related symptoms were found to have poor sleep quality. Therefore, incorporating SQ assessment as a part of routine geriatric assessment screening would be beneficial in early detection of this condition.