Artikel

The Course of Subjective Sleep Quality in Middle and Old Adulthood and Its Relation to Physical Health

Objectives. Older adults more often complain about sleep disturbances compared with younger adults. However, it is not clear whether there is still a decline of sleep quality after age 60 and whether changes in sleep quality in old age are mere reflections of impaired physical health or whether they represent a normative age-dependent development.Method. Subjective sleep quality and perceived physical health were assessed in a large sample of 14,179 participants (52.7% women; age range 18–85) from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study across four yearly measurement time points.Results. Subjective sleep quality linearly declined from young adulthood until age 60. After age 60, a transient increase in subjective sleep quality occurred that coincides with retirement. After age 66, subjective sleep quality appears to decrease again. Physical health prospectively predicted subjective sleep quality and vice versa. These relations were similar for participants aged over and under 60.Discussion. Around retirement, a transient increase in subjective sleep quality appears to occur, which might reflect a decrease in work-related distress. Perceived physical health appears to be important for subjective sleep quality in old adults but not more important than at younger age.

Language
Englisch

Bibliographic citation
Journal: The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences ; ISSN: 1079-5014 ; Volume: 68 ; Year: 2013 ; Issue: 5 ; Pages: 721-729 ; Oxford: Oxford University Press

Classification
Wirtschaft
Subject
German Socio-Economic Panel Study
Old age
Physical health
Retirement
Sleep quality
Alter
Rentner
Gesundheit
Panel
Schlaf

Event
Geistige Schöpfung
(who)
Lemola, Sakari
Richter, David
Event
Veröffentlichung
(who)
Oxford University Press
ZBW - Deutsche Zentralbibliothek für Wirtschaftswissenschaften, Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft
(where)
Oxford
(when)
2013-09

DOI
doi:10.1093/geronb/gbs113
Handle
Last update
10.03.2025, 11:43 AM CET

Data provider

This object is provided by:
ZBW - Deutsche Zentralbibliothek für Wirtschaftswissenschaften - Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft. If you have any questions about the object, please contact the data provider.

Object type

  • Artikel

Associated

  • Lemola, Sakari
  • Richter, David
  • Oxford University Press
  • ZBW - Deutsche Zentralbibliothek für Wirtschaftswissenschaften, Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft

Time of origin

  • 2013-09

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