Sleep hygiene practices in two community dwelling samples of older adults.

Full Abstract

STUDY

OBJECTIVES:
Common sleep hygiene practices were examined in 2 community-based samples of older adults to determine which practices differentiated 4 sleep subgroups:
noncomplainers without insomnia symptoms, complainers without insomnia symptoms, noncomplainers with insomnia symptoms, and complainers with insomnia symptoms.

DESIGN:
Two weeks of sleep diaries provided napping and bed/out-of-bed time variability data. A retrospective questionnaire provided data on caffeine, cigarette, and alcohol usage. Recruitment involved random digit dialing (Sample 1) and advertisements (Sample 2).

SETTING:
Memphis, TN area (Sample 1); Gainesville, FL area (Sample 2).

PARTICIPANTS:
310 individuals 60-96 years (Sample 1); 103 individuals 60-89 years (Sample 2).

INVENTIONS:
N/A.

MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS:
Older individuals with sleep complaints did not report engaging in poorer sleep hygiene practices than those without complaints with the exception of frequency of napping. For Sample 1 only, complainers reported napping on 1.5-2.0 more days per week than noncomplainers. Sleep subgroups in both samples did not differ for the other sleep hygiene practices studied.

CONCLUSIONS:
Overall, sleep hygiene behaviors did not differentiate the 4 sleep subgroups. The efficacy of sleep hygiene as a therapy for late life insomnia appears questionable in this context. Both complaining sleep subgroups napped more frequently than both noncomplaining subgroups in Sample 1. Additional research is needed to clarify the clinical implications of nap frequency as these results did not replicate in Sample 2, and the impact of napping on nighttime sleep remains unclear. Inconsistencies with previous research in younger samples support the need for more research specifically targeting older individuals' sleep patterns and behaviors.

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Author information

Author/s: McCrae, Christina S (CS); Rowe, Meredeth A (MA); Dautovich, Natalie D (ND); Lichstein, Kenneth L (KL); Durrence, Heith H (HH); Riedel, Brant W (BW); Taylor, Daniel J (DJ); Bush, Andrew J (AJ);

Affiliation: Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610-0165, USA. cmccrae(-atsign-)phhp.ufl.edu

Grants: AG12136 (Agency:NIA NIH HHS) ; AG14738 (Agency:NIA NIH HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Sleep (Sleep), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2006-Dec; vol 29 (issue 12) : pp 1551-60

Dates: Created 2007/01/26; Completed 2007/03/13; Revised 2007/12/03;

PMID: 17252886, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Alcohol Drinking - epidemiology
Anxiety - diagnosis; epidemiology
Caffeine
Central Nervous System Stimulants
Demography
Depression - diagnosis; epidemiology
Dyssomnias - epidemiology

Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Questionnaires
Retrospective Studies
Severity of Illness Index
Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders - diagnosis; epidemiology
Substance-Related Disorders - epidemiology

Associated Chemicals: Central Nervous System Stimulants (0) ; Caffeine (58-08-2)

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