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Functional disabilities and changes in sleep quality and duration among older adults: results from a longitudinal study in China, 2005–2014

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Key summary points

AbstractSection Aim

This study examined the associations of activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) with changes in sleep-related measurements among Chinese older adults.

AbstractSection Findings

Older adults with more ADL and IADL limitations had a higher risk of experiencing declines in sleep quality and the transition from meeting to not meeting the recommended sleep duration over time.

AbstractSection Message

Functional limitations need to be considered in sleep hygiene interventions and research.

Abstract

Purpose

We examined the associations of activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) with changes in sleep-related measurements among Chinese older adults from 2005 to 2014.

Methods

Four waves of longitudinal data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS; 2005–2014; n = 42,417) were used. Two sleep-related measurements were included: sleep quality and meeting the recommended daily sleep duration (7–8 h). We used Cox two-state regression models to examine the different states of sleep quality and duration.

Results

Approximately 43.6% of observations were between 81 and 95 years old, and 35.9% were between 65 and 80 years old. Around 54.8% of observations were female. Older adults with more ADL and IADL limitations had a higher risk of experiencing declines in sleep quality and the transition from meeting to not meeting the recommended sleep duration over time (all p < 0.01).

Conclusion

ADL and IADL limitations are significant risk factors for the development of sleep-related issues over time among Chinese older adults. Functional limitations need to be included in intervention strategies focused on sleep hygiene and studies examining changes in sleep patterns over time.

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Acknowledgements

We sincerely thank two anonymous reviewers and the handling editor, who provided valuable comments to improve the quality of this study. Data used for this research were provided by the “Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey” (CLHLS) managed by the Center for Healthy Aging and Development Studies, Peking University. CLHLS is supported by funds from the U.S. National Institutes on Aging (NIA), China Natural Science Foundation, China Social Science Foundation, and United Nations Population Fund. We thank research participants and researchers for their efforts in collecting the CLHLS data.

Funding

The authors of the present study did not receive any funding resources for this publication and research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Public Health and Sports Medicine, McQueary College of Health and Human Services, Missouri State University, Springfield, MO, USA

    Yen-Han Lee

  2. Department of Social Work, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong

    Dexia Kong

  3. Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Yi-Ting Hana Lee

  4. Department of Nursing, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan

    Chia-Hung Lin

  5. Department of Biomedical Engineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Chia-Hung Lin

  6. Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA

    Ching-Ti Liu

  7. Center for General Education, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu City, Taiwan

    Yen-Chang Chang

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  1. Yen-Han Lee
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  2. Dexia Kong
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Correspondence to Yen-Han Lee or Yen-Chang Chang.

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The authors do not have any conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Ethics of clearance

Because we used de-identified secondary datasets in the public domain, this study did not fall into the category of human subjects research.

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Lee, YH., Kong, D., Lee, YT.H. et al. Functional disabilities and changes in sleep quality and duration among older adults: results from a longitudinal study in China, 2005–2014. Eur Geriatr Med 13, 967–975 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41999-022-00619-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41999-022-00619-3

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