Sleeping pattern and factors contributing to sleep disturbances among elderly above 40 years residing in urban resettled colony of UT, Chandigarh

Vol. 1 No. 1

Year: 2011

Issue: Feb-Apr

Title: Sleeping pattern and factors contributing to sleep disturbances among elderly above 40 years residing in urban resettled colony of UT, Chandigarh 

Author Name: Jogindra Vati 

Synopsis:

Background: Efficient functioning of people especially of elderly depends upon quality and quantity of sleep as well as the pattern of their sleep. Sleep efficiency shows a sharp decline among them. There is variation in factors which make them sleep as well as there are various factors that disturb their sleep. The studies conducted in India lacks about the details of sleeping pattern of the population above the age of 40 years.Objectives: To determine sleep and wake pattern of adults above 40 years residing in urban resettled colony and to identify and analyze the factors affecting their sleepMethods: A descriptive study was carried out on convenience sample of 222 adults above 40 years after getting the ethical clearance from ethical committee of Institute. A pre-tested semi-structured interview schedule was used to collect the data. Results: The subjects took on an average 37.6±44.9 minutes (range=0-300) to get into sleep. About 52(23.4%) faced difficulty to fell asleep. On the average they slept for 6±1.56 hours during night and had naps for 33.8±56.1 minutes during day time. The quality of sleep ranges from light sleep to very deep sleep. More than half of subjects woke up once or twice during night while 2 subjects were awake for more than six times. But majority of them were either alert (n=75) or fairly clear-headed (n=52) in the morning. Duration of night sleep decreased and day naps increased with advancement of age. Females had higher sleep latency and slept for longer time for longer time during night. The day naps and frequent awakening during night was common among males. Psychological and financial problems were the main factors for the disruption of their sleep. Implications: The study provides evidence on sleep patterns and contributing factors affecting the sleep patterns among adults above 40 years. Further studies can be conducted on impact of various measures to reduce the factors affecting the general quality of sleep, sleep onset, and sleep duration.