What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: Observational. Population: Sleep and pre-sleep arousal (n=100). Intervention: Older age vs. Younger age. Primary outcome: Age differences in intraindividual variability of sleep outcomes (p=<0.01).

January 1, 2015Open Access

Beyond mean values: Quantifying intraindividual variability in pre-sleep arousal and sleep in younger and older community-dwelling adults

Q: What are the key findings of this study?

Older adults displayed significantly greater intraindividual variability in time spent awake after falling asleep and sleep quality ratings, as well as higher mean levels of cognitive pre-sleep arousal, compared to younger adults.

Key Result

Older adults displayed significantly greater intraindividual variability in time spent awake after falling asleep and sleep quality ratings, as well as higher mean levels of cognitive pre-sleep arousal, compared to younger adults.

Study Design

Type

Observational (n=100)

Multicenter

PICO

Population

Sleep and pre-sleep arousal (n=100)

Intervention / Comparator

Older age vs Younger age

Primary Outcome

Age differences in intraindividual variability of sleep outcomes, p=<0.01

Main Result

p-value: p=<0.01

Limitations

Sample was homogeneous in terms of race and education level
Reliance on subjective self-report measures of sleep rather than objective measures
Relatively large gap in age between the two groups of interest
Sleep patterns of young college students may not be representative of young adults not in school
Differences in marital status between groups, as sharing a bed with a partner may have contributed to sleep disturbances in older adults

Abstract

Intraindividual variability is an often understudied aspect of health outcomes research that may provide additional, complementary information to average values. The current paper aims to further our understanding of intraindividual variability in health research by presenting the results of a daily diary study of sleep and pre-sleep arousal. Pre-sleep arousal is often implicated in poor sleep outcomes, although the arousal-sleep association is not uniform across age groups. The examination of intraindividual variability in different age groups may provide a more complete understanding of these constructs, which, in turn, can inform future research. The overall objectives of the current study are to quantify the amount of intraindividual variability in pre-sleep arousal and sleep and to examine age differences in this variability. A sample of older (n=50) and younger (n=50) adults recruited from North Central Florida and online completed 14-consecutive-day diaries assessing pre-sleep arousal and sleep outcomes. Significant age differences were found for sleep and pre-sleep arousal; older adults displayed poorer, more variable sleep for the majority of sleep outcomes, and higher levels of pre-sleep arousal than younger adults. The high amount of intraindividual variability has implications for the assessment of pre-sleep arousal and sleep across age groups.

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Cite This Study

Shoji et al. (Thu,) conducted a observational in Sleep and pre-sleep arousal (n=100). Older age vs. Younger age was evaluated on Age differences in intraindividual variability of sleep outcomes (p=<0.01). Older adults displayed significantly greater intraindividual variability in time spent awake after falling asleep and sleep quality ratings, as well as higher mean levels of cognitive pre-sleep arousal, compared to younger adults.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a1b3c2d4b30c5c2b1966e48 https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.slsci.2015.02.005