Sleep complaints and their association with comorbidity and health-related quality of life in an older population in Sweden

Abstract

Objective: The relationship between sleep complaints, comorbidity and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in advanced age has not been clearly established. The aim of this study is therefore to investigate the presence of sleep complaints and discuss their association with morbidity and the HRQoL among the people aged 60 years and above.

Methods: Data regarding demography, sleep, comorbidity and HRQoL were collected through questionnaires and interviews among 1128 people in Sweden. The Johns Hopkins adjusted clinical groups (ACG®) Case-Mix System 6.0 and the Short-Form Health Survey-12 were used to assess morbidity and HRQoL, respectively.

Results: There was a divergence in the number of sleep complaints between those with no morbidity and those who had a high degree of comorbidity. Most of the sleep complaints related to low HRQoL were found among those with a high degree of comorbidity.

Conclusions: People with a high degree of comorbidity appear to be a group with a high risk of having both sleep complaints and a low HRQoL. Thus, this study suggests that even if sleep complaints appear to be difficult to identify and treat successfully, it is important to pay particular attention to those people who suffer from a high degree of comorbidity if their HRQoL is to be maintained.

Keywords:

• comorbidity
• older people
• SF-12
• sleep complaints

Acknowledgements

The Swedish National study on Aging and Care, SNAC (www.snac.org), is financially supported by the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, Sweden, and the participating county councils, municipalities and university departments. We express our gratitude to the participants, the participating counties and to the municipalities involved. We also thank the School of Health Science, Blekinge Institute of Technology, which supported this study.