Self-reported quality of sleep is associated with bodily pain, vitality and cognitive impairment in Japanese older adults

AimPoor sleep can affect physical and mental health, and consequently people's quality of life (QOL); however, only a few studies have addressed the potential associations of physical and mental health with quality of sleep (QOS) in Japan. The present study aimed to investigate the association of QOS with sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics, cognitive status, nutrition, depression, seclusion, and QOL in Japanese community-dwelling older adults. MethodsData were collected through self-administered questionnaires and other specific tests in 145 (age 73years [range 70-77years]) participants. The (2)-test or Fisher's exact test were used to compare categorical variables stratified by QOS, and the Mann-Whitney U-test was used for continuous variables. Furthermore, logistic regression analyses were carried out to verify the associations with QOS. ResultsThe poor QOS group had more males (P<0.05), a shorter self-reported sleep duration (P<0.001), higher body mass index (P<0.05) and higher risk of depression (P<0.05), whereas the good QOS group showed higher scores in the QOL summary and domains of physical component (P<0.01), general health (P<0.001), bodily pain (P<0.001) and vitality (P<0.001). In the logistic regression model, cognitive status (OR 0.13, 95% CI 0.03-0.55), bodily pain (OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.84-1.00) and vitality (OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.73-0.92) were associated with QOS. ConclusionThe present study provides evidence that QOS is linked to cognitive status, bodily pain and vitality in Japanese older adults. We maintain that screening a person's sleep characteristics in a community setting might be relevant to identify those older adults at risk of a poor QOL and frailty in the early phase, triggering further health analyses. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2014; 14: 628-635.