Sleep complaints in older adults: a racial comparison

Sleep complaints have been reported in epidemiologic studies to be more frequent in late life, among females, among the physically impaired, and among persons experiencing psychiatric disorders. To date, however, no studies have reported a racial difference in sleep complaints among older persons in the United States.

The Duke EPESE (Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly) assessed 3,976 community-dwelling elders age 65+ for sleep complaints and relevant control variables.

In bivariate analyses, sleep complaints were associated with female gender, White race, older age, cognitive impairment, lower education, presence of chronic health conditions, poor self-rated health, and higher scores on a self-rated depression scale (the CES-D). In logistic regression analysis, the association of White race and more sleep complaints persisted (p < .001) when the above variables were simultaneously controlled.

Fewer reported sleep complaints in community-dwelling Black elders compared to White elders remains unexplained, though it may be secondary to a higher threshold for Black elders reporting complaints.