Physical Activity Level and Sleep Quality in Community-Dwelling Older Adults. A Cross-Sectional Study

Ygor Matos Luciano; Rafael Zambelli Pinto; Cynthia Gobbi; Guilherme Luiz Fernandes; Vinicius Dokkedal-Silva; Ítalo R. Lemos; Gabriel Natan Pires; Monica Levy Andersen; Sergio Tufik; Priscila Kalil Morelhão

doi:10.1055/s-0044-1787757

Sleep Science, Table of Contents

CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Sleep Sci 2025; 18(02): e120-e127
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1787757

Original Article

Physical Activity Level and Sleep Quality in Community-Dwelling Older Adults. A Cross-Sectional Study

Authors

Ygor Matos Luciano

¹Departamento de Psicobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
Rafael Zambelli Pinto

²Department of Physiotherapy, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
Cynthia Gobbi

³Department of Physiotherapy, Centro Universitário de Ensino Superior (UNICESUMAR), Maringá, PR, Brazil
Guilherme Luiz Fernandes

¹Departamento de Psicobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
Vinicius Dokkedal-Silva

¹Departamento de Psicobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
Ítalo R. Lemos

²Department of Physiotherapy, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
Gabriel Natan Pires

¹Departamento de Psicobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
Monica Levy Andersen

¹Departamento de Psicobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
Sergio Tufik

¹Departamento de Psicobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
Priscila Kalil Morelhão

¹Departamento de Psicobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil

Abstract

The worldwide increase in life expectancy has resulted in a significant aging of the population. The physiological and functional changes that result from the aging process, changes in sleep patterns, and the prevalence of chronic diseases affect the health and well-being of individuals aged over 60.

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between levels of physical activity (PA) and sleep quality in community-dwelling older adults.

Methods This is a cross-sectional study, with the participants randomly recruited according to the region and street in which they live. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was applied to assess sleep quality, the Modified Baecke Questionnaire for the Elderly (MBQ-E) to assess PA levels, as well as questionnaires to obtain social, demographic and anthropometric data. Multivariable regression analyses were conducted with PA activity as the independent variable and sleep quality as the dependent variable of interest, while also considering all potential covariates.

Results A total of 503 older adults were analyzed, of whom 377 (75%) were classified as inactive and only 126 (25%) as active. Among the participants, 344 (68.4%) had poor sleep quality, 86 (17.1%) had symptoms of insomnia, and 57 (11.5%) reported complaints of excessive daytime sleepiness. We found that 128 participants (25.4%) consumed alcohol and 41 (8.2%) were current smokers. Multivariate regression results showed an inverse association between PA levels and sleep (Beta coefficient = −0.67 ([95% confidence interval = −1.29 to −0.04]).

Conclusions The results of the study indicate that being physically inactive is associated with poor sleep quality.

Keywords

sleep - physical activity - older adults

Full Text

References

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