Dados do Trabalho

Título

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SLEEP DURATION AND RISK OF FALLINGS IN THE ELDERLY: RESULTS FROM A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Introdução

Aging is responsible for several changes on distinct sleep dimensions turning it less deep, more fragmented and restricted on duration when compared to previous adulthood scenarios. Increased sleepiness and daytime napping are often related to the increased likelihood of falling, which may lead to bone fractures and increased mortality rate. Studies show that as age increases, the number of falls rises up. Whether sleep duration may be a mediator of such relationship it is unclear.

Objetivo

To evaluate the association between sleep duration and the risk of falling in elderly.

Métodos

A systematic review was carried out between February 4th and April 3rd, 2022, using the keywords: “sleep duration” AND “elderly” AND “falls” AND “actigraphy”. Electronic databases and manual searches were used. The inclusion criteria was: elderly of both sexes aged > 65 years; presence of actigraphy to assess hours of sleep; questionnaire to assess the risk of falling. Exclusion criteria: animal studies, literature review, systematic review, meta-analyses, letters, abstracts, and conference proceedings.

Resultados

A total of 631 studies were found, of which 4 met the eligibility criteria. The samples ranged from 874 to 3101 participants (total n = 8008), with ages ranging from 76.4 ± 5.5 to 83.5 ± 3.8 years. It was observed that 1478 participants fell. These individuals were splitted in two groups according to their objective sleep duration: < 7 hours, from which 970 fell; and between 7 and 8 hours, from which 508 fell. Stone et al., 2008 and Stone et al., 2014 reported that participants who fell were likely to have short hours of sleep. Swanson et al., 2019 observed a tendency for a higher percentage of falls in the group that slept > 9 h. However, Swanson et al., 2021 showed no association between sleep and increased risk of falls.

Conclusões

This study provides evidence supporting the relationship between sleep duration and the likelihood of falling in older adults. Meanwhile, future research should focus on possible mediators that can be integrated into clinical algorithms for the prevention and treatment of sleep disorders.

Palavras -chave

Sleep duration. Fall. Elderly. Actigraphy.