Insomnia and sleep quality among older people residing in old age homes at Andhra Pradesh, India

Background: Sleep problems are very common among elderly population. Moreover, people living in old age homes being deprived of the love of their families do not report impaired sleep patterns due to lack of knowledge or due to under recognition and under diagnosis by health care personnel. Early detection of poor sleep quality and disturbed sleep pattern among elderly can prevent or slow down the progression of morbidity and mortality and help them to have a good quality of life. Objective: To assess the level of insomnia and sleep quality among older people living in select old age homes in the rural part of East Godavari District in Andhra Pradesh, India. Methods: The study employed a cross-sectional descriptive design. The convenience sampling technique was used to recruit participants. Two standardized instruments—the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)—were used to assess sleep difficulty and sleep quality, respectively. Results: Participants were 100 older adults (mean age: 70.50 ± 7.61 years; age range: 60–81 years). Sixty-seven participants reported highly impaired sleep patterns, indicated by a mean score of 16.42 (standard deviation [SD] = 03.67) out of 24 on the AIS. Further, 66 participants had very poor sleep quality, indicated by a mean score of 13.21 (SD = 02.16) out of 21 on the PSQI. There was a significant positive correlation between sleep patterns and sleep quality. The more severe the sleep impairment, the poorer the sleep quality (r = 0.8; t = 13.18). Conclusion: The majority of older participants presented with severe sleep pattern impairments and poor sleep quality. Sleeping medication was highly associated with poor sleep patterns. The severity of impaired sleep patterns was associated with poor sleep quality. In the future, studies should investigate appropriate interventions for older adults that involve exercise and yoga, as well as activities to foster their social relationships.