Prevalence and correlates of total sleep time among the older adults during COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh

Mistry, Sabuj Kanti; Ali, ARM Mehrab; Ahmed, Md. Sabbir; Yadav, Uday Narayan; Khan, Md. Safayet; Hossain, Md. Belal; Yunus, Fakir Md

Purpose The present study was aimed to identify inappropriate sleep duration and its correlates among the Bangladeshi older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Material and methods This cross-sectional study was carried out among 1030 older adults aged 60 years and above in Bangladesh. Information was collected through telephone interviews using a pretested semi-structures questionnaire installed in SurveyCTO mobile app. Sleep duration was defined as total sleep time (TST) in last 24 h including day and nighttime sleep. TST was further categorized into shorter (<7 h), recommended (7–8 h), and longer sleep (>8 h) according to 2015 National Sleep Foundation guideline. The multinomial logistic regression model identified the factors associated with sleep duration. Results Mean TST was 7.9 h (SD=1.62). Of the total participants, 28.2% had longer and 17.8% shorter sleep duration. In the regression model, participants’ age of ≥80 years (OR: 3.36, 1.46–7.73), monthly family income of <5,000 Bangladeshi Taka (OR: 3.50, 1.79–6.82), difficulty in getting medicine during COVID-19 (OR: 1.72, 1.05–2.82), lack of communication during the pandemic (OR: 2.20, 1.43–3.40) and receiving COVID-19 related information from friends/family/neighbours (OR: 1.83, 1.11–3.01) were significantly associated with shorter TST. On the other hand, monthly family income of < 5,000 Bangladeshi Taka (OR: 2.00, 1.13–3.53), difficulty in getting medicine during COVID-19 pandemic (OR: 2.01, 1.33–3.03) and receiving COVID-19 related information from radio/TV (OR: 2.09, 1.22–3.59) were associated with longer TST. Conclusions The study findings suggest implementing sleep management program for older adults in Bangladesh, particularly during emergencies like COVID-19.