Calidad del sueño en los adultos mayores de los cantones Biblián y Déleg en el periodo noviembre 2023 – febrero 2024

Abstract

Background: Older adults are prone to experience from various sleep disturbances that affect their physical and mental health, leading to the suffering of diseases associated with this problem. Objective: To evaluate the quality of sleep in older adults in the cantons of Biblián and Déleg in the period November 2023 - February 2024. Method: A descriptive, non-experimental, quantitative, and cross-sectional research was conducted with a sample of 94 older adults, calculated using the EpiInfo program by applying the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Questionnaire. Results: The risk factors were: having nightmares (60.6%), getting up to go to the bathroom (59.6%), and feeling cold (58.5%). The clinical manifestations were: nocturnal awakenings (59.6%), daytime sleepiness (53.2%), and difficulty falling asleep (47.9%). Related to this, it is noteworthy that 69% of the study group reported some difficulty falling asleep, while 31% reported no difficulty. The quality of sleep was quite poor for 67%, while 30.9% reported it was good and 2.1% very poor. Conclusions: It is very crucial to know and identify sleep disorders in older adults because the lack of attention and prevention can result in other pathologies that affect especially their mental health. Keywords: older adults, sleep quality, risk factors