Nature and Science of Sleep (Jul 2023)
Secular Trends in Sleep Conditions in Chinese Elderly Individuals: A National Population-Based Study
Abstract
Xing-Bing Pan,1,* Hong-Xia Wang,2,* Ya-Jing Cao,3 Yan-Yu Liu4 1Performance Appraisal Office, Children’s Hospital of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University/The Tumour Hospital of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, People’s Republic of China; 3Institutes for Non-Communicable Chronic Diseases Control and Prevention, Hebei Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Shijiazhuang, People’s Republic of China; 4Cancer Institute, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University/The Tumour Hospital of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yan-Yu Liu, Cancer Institute, The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University/The Tumour Hospital of Hebei Province, No. 12 Jiankang Road, Shijiazhuang, 050017, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +86-311-8591-1878, Email [email protected]: As one of the most rapidly aging countries in the world, the elderly population is expected to reach over 400 million in China by 2032. Many studies have suggested a positive association between sleep duration and adverse health events among elderly individuals. This study aimed to investigate the sleep conditions of Chinese elderly individuals between 2005 and 2018.Patients and methods: Data for 53,013 elderly individuals were taken from five cycles of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) during 2005– 2018. Sex- and age-specific means and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were used to estimate sleep duration trends. Changes in sleep patterns were explored during this period. The prevalence of short and long sleep durations was assessed and age-standardized by the 2010 census. Finally, self-reported sleep quality was used to determine sleep conditions from another perspective among elderly individuals.Results: The mean sleep duration decreased from 7.87 (95% CI: 7.83– 7.91) to 7.29 (95% CI: 7.25– 7.33) hours between 2005 and 2018. Changes in sleep duration patterns were found during the study period. The proportion of the elderly population who slept ≤ 6 hours increased and that of those who slept ≥ 9 hours decreased noticeably over the past 13 years. The age-standardized prevalence of short sleep duration increased from 32.7% (95% CI: 32.7– 32.9%) to 38.4% (95% CI: 38.3– 38.5%). A significant decrease was observed in the prevalence of long sleep duration.Conclusion: Sleep conditions are gradually shifting toward a shorter sleep duration and poorer sleep quality among Chinese elderly individuals.Graphical Abstract: Keywords: trends, elderly population, sleep duration, sleep patterns, Chinese longitudinal healthy longevity survey
