Daily Social Contact in Relation to Sleep: The Role of Age.
OBJECTIVE
To examine how social contact during daily activities differs by age and relates to sleep outcomes.


METHODS
Fifty younger (M = 19.9 years, SD = 2.76) and 48 older (M = 67.6 years, SD = 6.63), community-dwelling adults completed the Social Rhythm Metric-17 and daily sleep diary online for 14 days.


RESULTS
Younger adults completed a greater proportion of activities with active others than older adults. Age significantly interacted with the proportion of activities completed alone, β = -.77, p = .04. Alone activities negatively predicted total sleep time in older, not younger adults.


CONCLUSIONS
Social contact, or lack thereof, is important for sleep, particularly for older adults who may be more prone to aloneness due to life course events.
a Department of Psychology University of Alabama , USA.
Caitlan A
CA
Tighe
a Department of Psychology University of Alabama , USA.
Natalie D
ND
Dautovich
b Department of Clinical and Health Psychology University of Florida , USA.
Christina S
CS
McCrae
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008132:Loneliness / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D011996:Records; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D012919:Social Behavior; D055815:Young Adult