Nursing Home Eligible, Community-Dwelling Older Adults' Perceptions and Beliefs About Sleep: A Mixed-Methods Study.
Miranda V McPhillips, Victoria V Dickson, Pamela Z Cacchione and 3 others
PMID 31104492WHAT IT FOUND
Most participants reported poor sleep quality and did not get recommended sleep amounts, regardless of self-perception.
Many had objective sleep disturbances but did not recognize them as problems, suggesting clinicians must proactively assess sleep in this population.
Key findings
01The majority of participants had poor sleep quality and did not get the recommended amount of sleep, regardless of their self-perceptions of sleep quality.
02Participants generally believed sleep was important, but less than a quarter of the sample had concerns about their sleep, indicating many adapted to or did not recognize disturbances.
03There was discordance between subjective reports and objective actigraphy data, with good sleepers often having objective total sleep time outside the recommended range.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was primarily female and Black, limiting generalizability to other PACE settings with different demographics. Self-perceptions of sleep were determined by a single screening question, and specific sleep disturbances were not screened. The study looked at sleep disturbances globally and cannot make conclusions regarding specific sleep disorders. Actigraphy measures movement, which is low in this population, potentially leading to overestimation of sleep variables. The study did not analyze the impact of specific medications, such as those prescribed for mental health. Sleep instruments used were developed for younger adults, and discordance was found between subjective and quantitative data.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume patients are sleeping well based on their self-report or lack of complaint. The study found that many participants with objective sleep disturbances believed their sleep was good or did not recognize the problem, meaning subjective reports alone are insufficient for assessment.