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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Sleep Sci 2024; 17(04): e451-e455
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1780504
Short Communication

Sleep Quality among Older Adults in Brazil during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: The Role of Physical Activity

Sandra Aparecida Bratifische 
1   Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
,
Diogo T. Cunha 
1   Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
,
Andrea Maculano Esteves 
2   Faculdade de Ciências Aplicadas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Limeira, SP, Brazil
,
Ligiana P. Corona 
1   Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
2   Faculdade de Ciências Aplicadas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Limeira, SP, Brazil
› Author Affiliations Funding Source. The authors declare that they have received no funding from agencies in the public, private or non-profit sectors for the conduction of the present study.
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Abstract

Objectives To assess sleep quality and sleepiness among older adults after social distancing during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and its association with physical activity.

Materials and Methods The present cross-sectional study included a sample of 290 Brazilians aged ≥ 60 years. Subjective sleep quality and sleepiness were assessed using the Mini-Sleep Questionnaire (MSQ) and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS).

Results Of the 290 participants, 29.7% reported worsening sleep quality during the pandemic, with a mean ± standard deviation (SD) MSQ score of 31.6 ± 8.8. Worsening of the perceived sleep quality during the pandemic and previous COVID-19 diagnoses were associated with higher MSQ scores (p < 0.001 and p = 0.013 respectively). Physical inactivity was not associated with sleep quality but was associated with sleepiness (p = 0.030).

Conclusion It is important to develop strategies that encourage physical activity, among other modifiable health factors, to help improve sleepiness among older adults.

Keywords

sleep - sleepiness - physical activity - COVID - aging


Publication History

Received: 12 June 2023

Accepted: 20 December 2023

Article published online:
15 May 2024

© 2024. Brazilian Sleep Association. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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