Citation

Lubetkin EI, Jia H. Sleep Health 2018; 4(2): 182-187.

Affiliation

Department of Biostatistics, Mailman School of Public Health and School of Nursing, Columbia University, 617 West 168th Street, New York, NY, 10032, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.sleh.2017.11.007

PMID

29555132

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention emphasizes conceptualizing sleep as a healthy behavior. Although a large literature exists documenting the morbidity or mortality of suboptimal sleep, fewer investigations have examined the burden of disease in a single number combining morbidity and mortality. This study examined the morbidity, as measured by health-related quality of life (HRQOL), mortality, and quality-adjusted life years (QALY) due to suboptimal (inadequate or excessive) sleep. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: We ascertained respondents' HRQOL scores and mortality status from the 2005 to 2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) with mortality follow-up data through December 31, 2011 for respondents aged 65 and older (n=2380). We estimated mean QALY according to duration of sleep, minutes to fall asleep, number of sleeping problems, and daytime impact.

RESULTS: More than one third of participants reported a suboptimal sleep duration. Short sleep duration had a greater adverse impact on morbidity, with reductions in HRQOL, while long sleep duration had a greater adverse impact on mortality. Compared to participants who reported between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night, mean QALYs were significantly lower among participants who slept 10 or more hours a night (7.8 QALY; decrease of 9.8 QALY).

CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed the association between suboptimal sleep and greater burden of disease among the elderly US population. Our findings provide support for treating sleep as a healthy (health risk) behavior, thereby having implications for primary care providers and public health surveillance.

Copyright © 2017 National Sleep Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

Elderly; Health-related quality of life (HRQOL); Quality-adjusted life year (QALY); Sleep problems