Associations between Various Sleep-Wake-Related Indicators and Nutritional Status in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: The Yilan Study, Taiwan

ObjectivesTo elucidate the relationship between various sleep-wake-related indicators and nutritional status.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingCommunity-based survey between 2017 and 2022 in Yilan City, Taiwan.Participants1,905 community-dwelling older adults aged & GE;65 years.MeasurementsNutritional status was evaluated using the Mini Nutritional Assessment, and participants were classified into normal nutritional status and undernutrition groups. Regarding sleep-wake-related indicators, specific items or component scores of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were used to assess sleep-wake schedule, subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency, presence of sleep disturbances, hypnotic use, and dysfunction in maintaining enthusiasm. The 5-item Athens Insomnia Scale and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale were used to evaluate insomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness, respectively.ResultsOf the 1,905 participants, the mean age was 75.6 & PLUSMN;7.1, with 52.2% being & GE;75 years old, 58.9% were women, and 11.4% had undernutrition. After controlling for covariates, short sleepers were less likely to have undernutrition (OR: 0.63; 95% CI: 0.41-0.97); in contrast, long sleepers were more likely to exhibit undernutrition (OR: 1.52; 95% CI: 1.06-2.17). In addition, poor habitual sleep efficiency (OR:1.69; 95% CI:1.15-2.50), taking hypnotics in the past month (OR: 1.58; 95% CI: 1.12-2.24), and dysfunction in maintaining enthusiasm (OR: 1.93; 95% CI: 1.24-2.99) were associated with increased risk of undernutrition.ConclusionsAmong older adults, various sleep-wake-related indicators differed in their relationships with nutritional status. Specific sleep-wake disturbances may indicate undernutrition in this population.

Automated summary

This study found that various sleep-wake-related indicators in older adults were related to their nutritional status. Short or long sleep duration, poor habitual sleep efficiency, the use of hypnotics, and dysfunction in maintaining enthusiasm were associated with an increased risk of undernutrition.