Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 11, 2025

Multi-Modal Home Sleep Monitoring in Older Adults
Published on: January 26, 2019
Association of Abnormal Sleep Duration and Sleep Disturbance with Physical Activity in Older Adults: Between- and
Xiangjie Kong1, Weifeng Qi2, Fangjie Xing1
1Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, Public Health College, Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China.
Objectives:
Sleep is associated with physical activity (PA), yet the nature and directions of this association are less understood. This study aimed to disentangle the long-term temporal sequences between sleep duration/disturbance and PA in older adults, distinguishing between- and within-person effects.
Design:
Longitudinal panel study.
Setting And Participants:
We conducted a longitudinal study using 3 waves of data collected in 2008/09 (T1), 2012/13 (T2), and 2016/17(T3) from adults aged ≥50 years in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (N = 10,749 individuals).
Measures:
Sleep duration, sleep disturbance, and PA were assessed by self-reported questionnaires. We used cross-lagged panel models (CLPMs) to examine between-person effects and random intercept cross-lagged panel models (RI-CLPMs) to examine within-person effects.
Results:
Our analyses revealed a reciprocal relationship between abnormal sleep duration and low PA levels at between-person level (abnormal sleep duration to PA: βT1-T2 = -0.053, βT2-T3 = -0.058, all P < .001; PA to abnormal sleep duration: βT1-T2 = -0.040, βT2-T3 = -0.045, all P < .05), with abnormal sleep duration being the driving force in the dynamic association. In addition, there was a unidirectional effect of more severe sleep disturbance on lower levels of PA at both between- and within-person levels (between-person level: βT1-T2 = -0.032, βT2-T3 = -0.028, all P < .001; within-person level: βT1-T2 and T2-T3 = -0.031, all P = .011).
Conclusions And Implications:
This study adds novel insights into the temporal directionality of sleep and PA among community-dwelling older adults and highlights poor sleep as a potential risk factor for PA. Intervention strategies should aim to improve sleep to promote PA levels and successful aging.
Related Concept Videos
Insufficient Sleep and Sleep Deprivation
Sleep deprivation is a more severe form of sleep loss...
Sleep-Wake Cycles
NREM Sleep
NREM sleep comprises four progressive stages that seamlessly merge:
Sleep Apnea
The condition is more prevalent among...
REM Sleep Behavior Disorder
RBD is significantly associated with...
Insomnia
Multiple factors contribute...
Sleepwalking and Sleep Talking
Factors that increase the likelihood of sleepwalking include sleep deprivation and alcohol consumption. Contrary to common beliefs, it is safe...

