Risk Factors of Sleep Disorders in Elderly: A Population-Based Case-Control Study

Background and Objectives: Sleep disorders include problems involving the quality, timing and amount of sleep, which cause decreased functioning and discomfort during the daytime. Considering the importance of sleep in health and quality of life and the probability of the related disorders in the elderly, this study was conducted to investigate sleep disorders and their risk factors in an elderly population covered by Mashhad University of Medical Sciences.   Methods: We conducted one of the largest population-based cross-sectional studies in an elderly population covered by Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in 2016. In this study, a total 8496 elderly people aged 60-90 years old with sleep disorders were compared with 35041 elderly subjects without complaints. Data were extracted from the Sina Electronic Health Record System. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were carried out using the STATA ® version 14 to determine associations between independent variables and sleep disorders.   Results: In multivariate analysis, male gender (AOR=0.58; 95% CI: 0.55-0.61), being married (AOR=0.88; 95% CI: 0.83-0.93), overweight and lightweight compared to normal weight (AOR=1.27; 95% CI: 1.21-1.34 and AOR=1.20; 95% CI: 1.04-1.38, respectively), smoking (AOR=2.22; 95% C.I: 2.05-2.40), high blood pressure (AOR=1.44; 95% C.I: 1.37-1.52), diabetes (AOR= 1.49; 95% C.I: 1.40-1.58) and depression (AOR=3.05; 95% C.I: 2.74-3.38) variable remained in the final model after adjusting for confounders.   Conclusion: In this study, gender, marital status, body mass index, smoking, blood pressure, diabetes and depression were the main determinants of sleep disorders. It is necessary to identify the risk factors and perform appropriate interventions to improve the sleep.