Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2007 Oct;30(10):1317-24.
doi: 10.1093/sleep/30.10.1317.

Poor sleep is associated with poorer physical performance and greater functional limitations in older women

Suzanne E Goldman  1 , Katie L Stone, Sonia Ancoli-Israel, Terri Blackwell, Susan K Ewing, Robert Boudreau, Jane A Cauley, Martica Hall, Karen A Matthews, Anne B Newman
Affiliations

Poor sleep is associated with poorer physical performance and greater functional limitations in older women

Suzanne E Goldman et al. Sleep. 2007 Oct.

Abstract

Study objectives: This study examined the association between disturbed sleep and poorer daytime function in older women.

Design: Observational study.

Participants: 2,889 women, mean age 83.5 years, participating in the 2002-2004 examination of the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures.

Interventions: N/A.

Measurements and results: Participants wore actigraphs for an average +/- SD of 4.1 +/- 0.83 24-hour periods. Actigraphy measured sleep variables were total sleep time and hours awake after sleep onset during the night and daytime napping behavior. Neuromuscular performance measurements included gait speed, chair stands, and grip strength. Functional limitations were assessed as self-reported difficulty with one or more of 6 instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). In fully adjusted, multivariable models, women who slept <6 hours per night walked 3.5% slower than those who slept 6.0-6.8 hours. Those who slept > or =7.5 hours took 4.1% longer to complete 5 chair stands than those who slept 6.8-7.5 hours. With higher wake after sleep onset (> or =1.6 hours compared to <0.7 hours) gait speed was 9.1% slower; it took 7.6% longer to complete 5 chair stands, and odds of functional limitation were 1.8 (95% CI: 1.4, 2.4) higher. Women with 1.0-1.8 hours of daytime sleep had higher odds (1.4 [95% CI: 1.1, 1.8]) of a functional limitation than those with <0.5 hours. Sleep variables did not appear to be associated with grip strength.

Conclusions: Objectively measured poorer sleep was associated with worse physical function. Future research is needed to identify the underlying mechanisms for the association between poor sleep and functional decline.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Comparison of the percent of women with measured total sleep time vs. the percent of women in the 2003 National Sleep Foundation poll reporting their amount of sleep (NSF 2003)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ancoli-Israel S. Insomnia in the elderly: A review for the primary care practitioner. Sleep. 2000;23(Suppl 1):S23–30. - PubMed
    1. Martin J, Stepnowsky C, Ancoli-Israel S. Sleep apnea in the elderly. In: McNicholas WT, Phillipson EA, editors. Breathing disorders during sleep London: WB Saunders; 2002. pp. 278–87.
    1. McCrae CS, Rowe MA, Tierney CG, Dautovich ND, DeFinis AL, McNamara JP. Sleep complaints, subjective and objective sleep patterns, health, psychological adjustment, and daytime functioning in community-dwelling older adults. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2005;60:182–9. - PubMed
    1. Ohayon MM. Epidemiology of insomnia: what we know and what we still need to learn. Sleep Med Rev. 2002;6:97–111. - PubMed
    1. Vitiello MV, Moe KE, Prinz PN. Sleep complaints cosegregate illness in older adults: clinical research informed by and informing epidemiological studies of sleep. J Psychosom Res. 2002;53:555–9. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms