THE LINK BETWEEN SLEEP DEPRIVATION AND DAILY ACTIVITIES

Background: Many older people complain about sleep problems, which may result in decreased daily activity performance. The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between sleep deprivation and daily activities of... [ view full abstract ]

Background:
Many older people complain about sleep problems, which may result in decreased daily activity performance. The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between sleep deprivation and daily activities of elderly in a residential care facility and strategies to prevent sleep problems.
Method:
A mixed method was used. A systematic literature study is performed, searching Pubmed and Tripdatabase using search terms “sleep deprivation”, “elderly”, “daily activities”, and using snowball method. Additionally, a qualitative study, using in depth interviews was performed with an occupational therapist expert in sleep problems.
Results:
Sleep problems are related to health issues (Mullette-Gillman, Kurnianingsih, & Liu, 2015; Luckhaupt, Tak, & Calvert, 2010; Grandner, Patel, Gehrman, Perlis, Pack, 2010). Elderly may have an increased risk for occupational deprivation, even without sleep problems (Howrey et al, 2015). Elderly also have more risk factors for sleepiness, like the admission in a hospital for illness or treatments (Pack et al, 2006; Ohayon & Vecchierini, 2005; Ersser et al, 1999).
Conclusion:
Sleep deprivation is related to a decreased daily activity performance in elderly.
Application to Practice:
When optimizing daily activity performance in elderly, occupational therapists should also consider sleep quality. Specific advices can be formulated to improve the sleep quality of elderly in a residential care facility, either to the person or the staff.