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Insomnia symptoms and their correlates among the elderly in geriatric homes in Alexandria, Egypt

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Abstract

The prevalence of sleep complaints increases steadily with age. Studies investigating insomnia among elderly people living in geriatric homes, especially among Egyptians, are scarce. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of insomnia symptoms among the elderly living in geriatric homes in Alexandria and their correlates. A cross-sectional survey of a representative sample of elderly population of geriatric homes in Alexandria was implemented. A total of 177 persons aged 60 years or older participated. Difficulty initiating sleep was reported by 65% of the participants. Approximately half of them had difficulty maintaining their sleep (50.8%) or had non-restful sleep (51.4%). Short sleep was reported by 43.5% of the participants, while early morning awakening was reported by 28.2%. Advanced age (≥75 years) was significantly associated with increased risk for early morning awakening, non-restful sleep and short sleep. Women had approximately a fourfold risk of non-restful sleep as opposed to men. Short stay in geriatric homes (<1 year) was associated with 2.5-fold increased risk of non-restful sleep. Unmarried status was strongly and positively related to difficulty to maintain sleep and non-restful sleep. Depressive status was significantly associated with an increased risk of difficulty to maintain sleep and decreased risk of early morning awakening. Conclusively, the present study showed that insomnia symptoms are highly prevalent among the elderly living in geriatric homes. It also revealed that although age, gender, and other socio-demographic factors are correlated with insomnia symptoms, other factors are highly important. Health care providers should take these factors in consideration when dealing with elderly patients who complain of insomnia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geriatric Health Department, High Institute of Public Health, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt

    Mohamed M. Makhlouf & Abla I. Ayoub

  2. Medical Statistics Department, Medical Research Institute, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt

    Moataz M. Abdel-Fattah

  3. Chief and Consultant of Preventive Medicine Department, Al-Hada Armed Forces Hospital, P.O. Box 1347, Taif, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

    Moataz M. Abdel-Fattah

Authors
  1. Mohamed M. Makhlouf
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  2. Abla I. Ayoub
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  3. Moataz M. Abdel-Fattah
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Correspondence to Moataz M. Abdel-Fattah.

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Makhlouf, M.M., Ayoub, A.I. & Abdel-Fattah, M.M. Insomnia symptoms and their correlates among the elderly in geriatric homes in Alexandria, Egypt. Sleep Breath 11, 187–194 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-006-0097-3

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