Physical Activity And Sleep Quality In Community-dwelling Older Adults

Abstract

Increasing life expectancy has implications for the health system. There is strong evidence that health is dependent on peoples’ lifestyle. Sufficient and regular physical activity as well as a good sleep quality are major factors for improved health. Despite health benefits, the majority of older adults do not meet evidence-based physical activity recommendations. Moreover, the prevalence of sleep disorders in this age group is high. PURPOSE: To determine the association between physical activity and sleep quality in community-dwelling older adults (>65 years). METHODS: This cross-sectional study is based on 64 community-dwelling older adults (82.1 ± 6.4 years (MD ± SD); females 42). Barthel-Index was used for physical disability rating. The average amount of physical activity was assessed by means of accelerometer (MyWellnessKey), measured on 4 out of 7 consecutive days. Self-reported sleep quality, duration and bed rest time were obtained using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Bivariate correlations (Spearman-Rho) were used to explore relationships between physical activity and sleep quality. In order to analyze differences between subgroups (≥7, 6-7, 5-6, <5 hours of sleep; Barthel Index <90 vs. ≥90 pts) univariate ANOVAs were applied; in case of significance followed by Tukey-HSD post-hoc analyses. RESULTS: Physical activity levels among community-dwelling older adults ranged from 561.2 to 5335.7 moves per week. No linear association between physical activity and sleep quality was found (p > .05). In subgroup analyses (n = 41, Barthel Index ≥90 pts, free of pre-existing conditions) physical activity levels (2251.6 ± 1119.1, 2516.4 ± 644.5, 3528.7 ± 1461.9, 2019.2 ± 1105.2 moves per week) differed significantly (p = .037) between groups of different sleep duration. The association between physical activity and sleep quality was confined to older adults reporting ≥7 hours of sleep and older adults reporting 5-6 hours of sleep (p = .049). CONCLUSION: Present data indicate comparable low to very low physical activity levels in community-dwelling older adults. There is no accordance between higher activity levels and better sleep quality in the investigated cohort per se. However, a sleep duration of 5-6 hours seems to be associated with 7.6 hours bed rest time and a higher level of physical activity.