Sleep in spousal caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease.
OBJECTIVE
This study examined differences in objective and subjective measures of sleep between caregivers and noncaregivers.


METHODS
Cross-sectional design.


METHODS
All assessments were conducted within the home.


METHODS
Seventy-three community-dwelling spousal caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease and 40 noncaregiving controls.


RESULTS
Subjects completed a semistructured interview on sociodemographics, cognitive status of the care recipient, self-reported sleep quality, and functional outcome. A polysomnogram was conducted. Caregivers of patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease reported significantly more sleep problems (P<.05) and more functional impairment as a result of sleepiness than noncaregivers (P<.01). Objectively, older caregivers of those with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease slept less than older noncaregivers (P<.05); there were no other significant differences in objective sleep measures. There was a main effect for age, with older caregivers and older noncaregivers having lower sleep efficiency, less slow-wave sleep, and more stage 1 sleep than younger caregivers and noncaregivers (P<.05).


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that nighttime sleep is shorter but not otherwise disrupted in caregivers of patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease compared with noncaregivers, and the impact of caregiving on sleep disturbance may be most salient for older caregivers. It is possible that these older caregivers are more vulnerable to the effects of sleep disruption and thus have trouble falling back to sleep when the time is afforded them. Future work is needed to examine the differences in care practices in caregivers by age and dementia severity. Perhaps more importantly, studies examining the health consequences of shortened sleep in this group are needed.
McKibbin
Christine L
CL
Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, CA, USA.
Ancoli-Israel
Sonia
S
Dimsdale
Joel
J
Archuleta
Christopher
C
von Kanel
Roland
R
Mills
Paul
P
Patterson
Thomas L
TL
Grant
Igor
I
D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications; D017028:Caregivers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000150:complications; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003710:Demography; D006970:Disorders of Excessive Somnolence / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017286:Polysomnography; D012890:Sleep; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012895:Sleep, REM