Morbidities Worsening Index to Sleep in the Older Adults During COVID-19: Potential Moderators

Frontiers in Psychology

Teresa Paiva²  Katie Moraes de Almondes³  Eleni de Araujo Sales Castro⁵ 

[1] CENC –Sleep Medicine Center, Lisbon, Portugal;Comprehensive Health Research Center (CHRC), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal;Department of Psychology and Postgraduate Program in Psychobiology, AMBSONO Sleep Clinic, Onofre Lopes University Hospital, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil;ISAMB – Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal;Postgraduate Program in Psychobiology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil;

关键词: older people;    sleep habits;    sleep disorders;    insomnia;    COVID-19;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2022.913644

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Older adults were considered a vulnerable group for the COVID-19 infection and its consequences, including problems with sleep.AimTo evaluate the prevalence of sleep disorders in older adults, to describe their sleep patterns, as well as to analyse if there were any changes in comparison with the period pre-pandemic.Materials and MethodsOnline survey used for data collection received answers from 914 elderly age range 65–90 years, from April to August 2020. Results: 71% of the sample reported a pre-existent sleep disorder, and some of them worsened during the pandemic, especially Insomnia in women and Obstructive Sleep Apnea in men. No difference in sleep duration before and during the pandemic was found, although there was a worsening of some aspects related to sleep, such as sleep quality, sleep efficiency, awakening quality, sleep latency and nocturnal awakenings, especially in the female gender. Educational level influenced sleep latency, indicating higher sleep latency among those with primary education when compared with the ones with Ph.D.ConclusionThe pandemic had influenced sleep patterns among the elderly, as well as worsening of pre-existent sleep disorders. Female gender and low educational level were considered risk factors for sleep alterations, and high educational level, on its turn, appeared to be a protective factor.

【 授权许可】

Unknown