Sleep quality and falls in middle-aged and older adults: ELSI-Brazil study.
André Pereira Dos Santos, Jéssica Fernanda Correa Cordeiro, Pedro Pugliesi Abdalla and 10 others
PMID 38995077WHAT IT FOUND
Adults aged 50 to 84 who rated their sleep quality low reported a fall in the past year more often.
The pattern held across each five-year age band and after adjusting for sex and activity.
Key findings
01Low self-reported sleep quality was significantly associated with falls in adults aged 50 to 84, but not in those aged 85 or older.
02The association remained after accounting for sex and physical activity level.
03The odds of falls linked to low sleep quality increased with age every five years up to age 84.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that low sleep quality caused falls. Sleep quality was measured with one self-report question, not objective sleep testing or detailed sleep parameters. The sample had more women than men, which may influence the findings. Participants reported falls and sleep, so recall and response bias are possible. The association was not significant for participants aged 85 years or older.
Declared interests
The study was funded by Brazilian government research agencies, including CAPES, CNPq, FAPEMIG, and CIAFEL. The supplied text does not state a competing-interests declaration.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that treating sleep problems will prevent falls. This was a cross-sectional association, so it cannot show cause, and the authors did not test a sleep intervention.