Prevalence and pattern of sleep problems among older persons attending a tertiary hospital in Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Sleep disturbances are common symptoms in adults and are related to various factors, but they are not an inherent part of the ageing process. Objective: To determine the prevalence and pattern of sleep problems among older persons attending the General Out-patient Clinics in a tertiary health-care facility in Uyo, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This was a hospital-based cross-sectional descriptive study on older persons attending the GOP clinics of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital. Using a semi-structured interviewer administered questionnaire, information on the sociodemographic characteristics and the sleep history of the respondents were obtained. Data entry and analysis were done using Epi info® version 3.5.1. Results: The prevalence of sleep problems was 64.5% with early awakening being the commonest sleep problem (50.5%) experienced by the respondents. Conclusion: The prevalence of sleep problems is high in this study, and there is need for counselling of older persons on how to improve their sleeping habits.