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ObjectivesDisrupted sleep is prevalent and related to problematic alcohol use. While sex and race disparities exist in both sleep disturbances and problematic alcohol use, whether the association between disrupted sleep and problematic alcohol use is similar across sex and race is unknown. The present study sought to examine sex and race invariance in the association between disrupted sleep and problematic alcohol use.MethodsSecondary analyses of baseline data from a randomized clinical trial targeting heavy drinking in primary care facilities. Participants completed four individual sleep questions (sleep quality, difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, and sleep medication use), along with sex-specific measures of problematic alcohol use (i.e., CAGE and T-ACE). A structural equation model (SEM) was used to examine the association between a latent sleep disturbance construct and problematic alcohol use, as well as potential sex and race invariance of this association.ResultsParticipants included 1,448 adults (76.59% female, 76.73% Black, Mage = 44.78, SD = 12.35). The majority of the sample reported one or more sleep disturbance symptoms and 31.84% of participants screened positive for problematic alcohol use. Greater sleep disturbance was significantly associated with a greater risk of problematic alcohol use (β = 0.18, p < 0.001), and did not differ by either sex or race.ConclusionsDisrupted sleep is associated with problematic alcohol use, across sex and race. Sleep interventions may hold promise as treatment augments in individuals with problematic alcohol use.

Little is known regarding sleep's association with the traditional developmental course of late-life cognitive functioning. As the number of older adults increases worldwide, an enhanced understanding of age-related changes in sleep and cognition is necessary to slow decline and promote optimal aging. This review synthesizes the extant literature on sleep and cognitive function in healthy older adults, older adults with insomnia, and older adults with sleep apnea, incorporating information on the potential promising effects of treating poor sleep on cognitive outcomes in older adults. Unifying theories of the sleep-cognition association, possible mechanisms of action, and important unanswered questions are identified.

Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTI) for comorbid insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has had mixed results. We integrated CBTI with a positive airway pressure (PAP) adherence program and tested effects on sleep and PAP use. 125 veterans (mean age 63.2, 96% men, 39% non-Hispanic white, 26% black/African American, 18% Hispanic/Latino) with comorbid insomnia and newly-diagnosed OSA (apnea-hypopnea index ≥ 15) were randomized to 5-weekly sessions integrating CBTI with a PAP adherence program provided by a "sleep coach" (with behavioral sleep medicine supervision), or 5-weekly sleep education control sessions. Participants and assessment staff were blinded to group assignment. Outcomes (baseline, 3 and 6 months) included Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), 7-day sleep diary (sleep onset latency [SOL-D], wake after sleep onset [WASO-D], sleep efficiency [SE-D]), 7-day actigraphy (SE-A), and objective PAP use (hours/night and nights ≥ 4 h). Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire-10 (FOSQ-10) were also collected. Compared to controls, intervention participants showed greater improvement (baseline to 3 and 6 months, respectively) in PSQI (-3.2 and -1.7), SOL-D (-16.2 and -15.5 minutes), SE-D (10.5% and 8.5%), SE-A (4.4% and 2.6%) and more 90-day PAP use (1.3 and 0.9 more hours/night, 17.4 and 11.3 more nights PAP ≥ 4 h). 90-day PAP use at 3 months was 3.2 and 1.9 h/night in intervention versus controls. Intervention participants also had greater improvements in ISI, ESS, and FOSQ-10 (all p < 0.05). An intervention integrating CBTI with a PAP adherence program delivered by a supervised sleep coach improved sleep and PAP use in adults with comorbid insomnia and OSA. ClinicalTrials.govStudy name: Novel Treatment of Comorbid Insomnia and Sleep Apnea in Older VeteransURL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?cond=&term=NCT02027558&cntry=&state=&city=&dist=Registration: NCT02027558.

We sought to determine which facets of sleep neurophysiology were most strongly linked to cognitive performance in 3,819 older adults from two independent cohorts, using whole-night electroencephalography. From over 150 objective sleep metrics, we identified 23 that predicted cognitive performance, and processing speed in particular, with effects that were broadly independent of gross changes in sleep quality and quantity. These metrics included rapid eye movement duration, features of the electroencephalography power spectra derived from multivariate analysis, and spindle and slow oscillation morphology and coupling. These metrics were further embedded within broader associative networks linking sleep with aging and cardiometabolic disease: individuals who, compared with similarly aged peers, had better cognitive performance tended to have profiles of sleep metrics more often seen in younger, healthier individuals. Taken together, our results point to multiple facets of sleep neurophysiology that track coherently with underlying, age-dependent determinants of cognitive and physical health trajectories in older adults.

Subjective and objective estimates of sleep are often discordant among individuals with insomnia who typically under-report sleep time and over-report wake time at night. This study examined the impact and durability of cognitive-behavioural therapy for insomnia on improving the accuracy of sleep and wake perceptions in older adults, and tested whether changes in sleep quality were related to changes in the accuracy of sleep/wake perceptions. One-hundred and fifty-nine older veterans (97% male, mean age 72.2 years) who met diagnostic criteria for insomnia disorder were randomized to: (1) cognitive-behavioural therapy for insomnia (n = 106); or (2) attention control (n = 53). Assessments were conducted at baseline, post-treatment, 6-months and 12-months follow-up. Sleep measures included objective (via wrist actigraphy) and subjective (via self-report diary) total sleep time and total wake time, along with Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score. Discrepancy was computed as the difference between objective and subjective estimates of wake and sleep. Minutes of discrepancy were compared between groups across time, as were the relationships between Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores and subsequent changes in discrepancy. Compared with controls, participants randomized to cognitive-behavioural therapy for insomnia became more accurate (i.e. minutes discrepancy was reduced) in their perceptions of sleep/wake at post-treatment, 6-months and 12-months follow-up (p

Increased age is associated with normative declines in both sleep and cognitive functioning. Although there are some inconsistencies in the literature, negative sleep changes are associated with worse cognitive functioning. This negative relationship holds true across normal-sleeping older adults, older adults with insomnia, older adults with sleep disordered breathing, cognitively healthy older adults, and older adults with dementia. There are mixed results regarding potential benefits of sleep treatments on cognitive functions; however, this line of research deserves added attention because the potential mechanisms of action are likely distinct from other interventions to improve cognition.

ObjectivesTo test a new cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) program designed for use by nonclinicians.DesignRandomized controlled trial.SettingDepartment of Veterans Affairs healthcare system.ParticipantsCommunity-dwelling veterans aged 60 and older who met diagnostic criteria for insomnia of 3 months duration or longer (N = 159).InterventionNonclinician "sleep coaches" delivered a five-session manual-based CBT-I program including stimulus control, sleep restriction, sleep hygiene, and cognitive therapy (individually or in small groups), with weekly telephone behavioral sleep medicine supervision. Controls received five sessions of general sleep education.MeasurementsPrimary outcomes, including self-reported (7-day sleep diary) sleep onset latency (SOL-D), wake after sleep onset (WASO-D), total wake time (TWT-D), and sleep efficiency (SE-D); Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI); and objective sleep efficiency (7-day wrist actigraphy, SE-A) were measured at baseline, at the posttreatment assessment, and at 6- and 12-month follow-up. Additional measures included the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9)), and quality of life (Medical Outcomes Study 12-item Short-form Survey version 2 (SF-12v2)).ResultsIntervention subjects had greater improvement than controls between the baseline and posttreatment assessments, the baseline and 6-month assessments, and the baseline and 12-month assessments in SOL-D (-23.4, -15.8, and -17.3 minutes, respectively), TWT-D (-68.4, -37.0, and -30.9 minutes, respectively), SE-D (10.5%, 6.7%, and 5.4%, respectively), PSQI (-3.4, -2.4, and -2.1 in total score, respectively), and ISI (-4.5, -3.9, and -2.8 in total score, respectively) (all P < .05). There were no significant differences in SE-A, PHQ-9, or SF-12v2.ConclusionManual-based CBT-I delivered by nonclinician sleep coaches improves sleep in older adults with chronic insomnia.

ObjectivesTo investigate the association between pain and functional independence in older adults during and after admission to rehabilitation after an acute illness or injury.DesignProspective, observational cohort study.SettingOne community and one Veterans Affairs rehabilitation center.ParticipantsIndividuals aged 65 and older admitted for rehabilitation after an acute illness or injury (postacute rehabilitation) (N = 245; mean age 80.6, 72% male)).MeasurementsPain was assessed using the Geriatric Pain Measure (GPM, score 0-100). Functional independence was measured using the motor component of the Functional Independence Measure (mFIM, score 13-91). Both scores were obtained at admission; discharge; and 3-, 6-, and 9-month follow-up. In bivariate analyses, discharge GPM and persistent pain (lasting >3 months) were evaluated as predictors of mFIM score at 9 months. Applying a multilevel modeling (MLM) approach, individual deviations in GPM scores were used to predict variations in mFIM.ResultsAt admission, 210 participants (87.9%) reported pain (16.3% mild (GPM70)); 21.3% reported persistent pain after discharge. The bivariate analyses did not find statistically significant associations between discharge GPM or persistent pain and mFIM score at 9 months, but in the MLM analysis, deviations in GPM were significant predictors of deviations in mFIM score, suggesting that, when individuals experienced above-average levels of pain (GPM > their personal mean GPM), they also experienced worse functional independence (mFIM < their personal mean mFIM).ConclusionTwenty-one percent of older adults undergoing postacute rehabilitation reported persistent pain after discharge from rehabilitation. The bivariate analysis did not find association between pain and functional independence, but MLM analysis showed that, when participants experienced more pain than their average, they had less functional independence.

BackgroundA growing number of positive airway pressure (PAP) device users will develop physical/sensory impairments such as arthritis. For these individuals, the usability of their PAP devices (e.g., efficiency and satisfaction) may impact the frequency and safety of device usage. Questionnaires to assess PAP usability are unavailable; therefore, we developed the Usability of Sleep Apnea Equipment-Positive Airway Pressure (USE-PAP) questionnaire.MethodsQuestionnaire development included in-depth interviews to identify relevant content areas, a technical advisory panel to review/edit items, cognitive interviews to refine items, and a cross-sectional survey of Veterans Affairs sleep clinic patients assessing PAP device usability overall (one multi-item scale), usability of PAP components (multi-item scales for machine controls, mask/headgear, tubing, and humidifier), frequency of usability-related issues (one multi-item scale), PAP device characteristics, and demographics.ResultsAfter conducting 19 in-depth interviews, a panel meeting, and 10 cognitive interviews, we administered the survey to 100 PAP device users (67% ≥60 years; 90% male). The items assessing machine control usability received the least favorable ratings. Twenty percent of respondents reported difficulty getting equipment ready for use, and 33 percent had difficulty cleaning equipment. The six multi-item scales had excellent internal consistency reliability (alpha ≥0.84) and item-rest correlations (≥0.39).ConclusionsThis study provides initial support for the USE-PAP for measuring PAP device usability. Studies that include large samples are needed to further evaluate the psychometric properties of the USE-PAP. In addition, comparisons of USE-PAP responses with direct observations of PAP-related tasks and objectively measured PAP adherence are needed to fully evaluate the questionnaire.

Previous investigations into the relationship between late-life depressive symptoms and cognitive functioning have resulted in mixed findings concerning whether or not depressive symptoms and cognitive functioning are related. The mixed reports may be due in part to differences in clinical and nonclinical samples and to inadequate consideration of the dynamic nature (i.e., fluctuating course) of depressive symptoms and cognitive functioning in older adults. The current study examined the chronic, acute, and longitudinal relationships between depressive symptoms and cognitive functioning in older adults in an ongoing treatment study of major depressive disorder (MDD).The neurocognitive outcomes of depression in the elderly study operates in a naturalistic treatment milieu using a pharmacological treatment algorithm and regular psychiatric assessment. Four hundred and fifty-three older adults [mean age 70 years, standard deviation (SD) = 7.2] meeting criteria for MDD at study enrollment received annual neuropsychological testing and depressive symptom monitoring for an average of 8.5 years (SD = 4.5).Hierarchical linear modeling revealed that higher age, lower education, and higher average/chronic levels of depressive symptoms were related to lower cognitive functioning. Additionally, results revealed that when an individual's depressive symptoms are higher than is typical for a specific individual, general cognitive function was worse than average. There was no evidence of lagged/longitudinal relationships between depressive symptoms and cognitive functioning in older adults in treatment for MDD.Cognitive functioning and depressive symptoms are concurrently associated in older adults with MDD, highlighting the potential importance for stabilizing mood symptoms as a means to manage cognitive deficits in late-life depression.

Understanding predictors of older dementia caregivers' mood could provide insight into potential treatments which may delay institutionalization of their care recipient. Research with older noncaregivers has shown that nights characterized by better subjective sleep were associated with days characterized by higher positive and lower negative affect, and vice versa. Examining daily relationships is important, as sleep and affect are state-like behaviors that fluctuate within individuals, across time. This study was a preliminary examination of whether a sample with a greater proportion of older dementia caregivers exhibits similar daily sleep/affect associations.Sleep diaries, actigraphy, and affect data were collected concurrently for 7 days in 55 community-dwelling, dementia caregivers (M = 62.80 years, SD = 12.21; 77.8% female). Sleep and affect were examined within- (day-to-day level) and between-persons (mean level).Findings for older noncaregivers were replicated for negative affect only. Specifically, nights characterized by better subjective sleep were characterized by lower negative affect, and vice versa.Examining older caregivers' daily sleep/affect association is important, because caregiving-related awakenings are unavoidable, often unpredictable, and can impact mood. Future research is needed to examine whether regularization in awakenings and/or negative affect represent important secondary, or even target, treatment outcomes for this vulnerable population.

To examine the relationship between changes in objectively assessed sleep and global cognitive functioning from inpatient postacute rehabilitation to 6-month follow-up.Secondary analysis of two prospective, longitudinal studies.Inpatient rehabilitation units at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center.Older adults (mean age 73.8 ± 9.4) undergoing inpatient rehabilitation (n = 192).All participants completed 7 nights and days of ambulatory sleep monitoring using wrist actigraphy (yielding an estimate of nighttime wakefulness and daytime sleep) and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) during a postacute inpatient rehabilitation stay and 6 months after discharge. The 5-item Geriatric Depression Scale, Geriatric Pain Measure, and Cumulative Illness Rating Scale for Geriatrics were completed during inpatient rehabilitation.Growth curve modeling (controlling for baseline age, education, sex, body mass index, depression, pain, and comorbidity burden) revealed that individuals whose amount of daytime sleep decreased from inpatient postacute rehabilitation to 6-month follow-up also experienced improvements in MMSE score (β = -0.01, t(80 = -3.22, P = .002)). Change in nighttime wakefulness was not a significant predictor of change in MMSE score.Older adults whose daytime sleeping decreased after hospital discharge also experienced improvements in cognitive functioning at 6 month follow-up. As such, daytime sleep may represent a promising candidate for targeted interventions aimed at promoting cognitive recovery after hospital discharge.

ObjectivesTo examine the relationship between changes in objectively assessed sleep and global cognitive functioning from inpatient postacute rehabilitation to 6-month follow-up.DesignSecondary analysis of two prospective, longitudinal studies.SettingInpatient rehabilitation units at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center.ParticipantsOlder adults (mean age 73.8 ± 9.4) undergoing inpatient rehabilitation (n = 192).MeasurementsAll participants completed 7 nights and days of ambulatory sleep monitoring using wrist actigraphy (yielding an estimate of nighttime wakefulness and daytime sleep) and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) during a postacute inpatient rehabilitation stay and 6 months after discharge. The 5-item Geriatric Depression Scale, Geriatric Pain Measure, and Cumulative Illness Rating Scale for Geriatrics were completed during inpatient rehabilitation.ResultsGrowth curve modeling (controlling for baseline age, education, sex, body mass index, depression, pain, and comorbidity burden) revealed that individuals whose amount of daytime sleep decreased from inpatient postacute rehabilitation to 6-month follow-up also experienced improvements in MMSE score (β = -0.01, t(80 = -3.22, P = .002)). Change in nighttime wakefulness was not a significant predictor of change in MMSE score.ConclusionOlder adults whose daytime sleeping decreased after hospital discharge also experienced improvements in cognitive functioning at 6 month follow-up. As such, daytime sleep may represent a promising candidate for targeted interventions aimed at promoting cognitive recovery after hospital discharge.

The current study examined a 5-year cognitive change in untrained African American and White participants from the Advanced Cognitive Training in Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) study.Five-year trajectories of memory, reasoning, visual processing speed/useful field of view, digit-symbol substitution, and vocabulary were investigated. Education, health, gender, age, and retest/practice effects were controlled for, and a missing data pattern mixture approach was used to adjust for dropout effects.After considering age, education, health, and gender, being African American uniquely explained 2% to 7% of the variance in cognitive performance. There were virtually no significant race differences in the rates of change.Race-related results in the current study are consistent with previous research suggesting that social advantage factors such as education have a stronger influence on the level of performance than the rate of change. The small remaining effects of being African American on performance levels likely reflect uncontrolled variation in factors like literacy and financial advantage.

To examine the relationship between objectively measured nocturnal sleep and subjective report of morning pain in older adults with insomnia; to examine not only the difference between persons in the association between sleep and pain (mean level over 14 days), but also the within-person, day-to-day association.Cross-sectional.North-central Florida.Fifty community-dwelling older adults (mean age+/-standard deviation 69.1+/-7.0, range 60-90) with insomnia.Daily home-based assessment using nightly actigraphic measurement of sleep and daily self-report of pain over 14 consecutive days.Between persons, average sleep over 14 days was not associated with average levels of rated pain, but after a night in which an older adult with insomnia experienced above-average total sleep time he or she subsequently reported below-average pain ratings. The model explained approximately 24% of the within-person and 8% of the between-person variance in pain ratings.Sleep and pain show day-to-day associations (i.e., covary over time) in older adults with insomnia. Such associations may suggest that common physiological systems underlie the experience of insomnia and pain. Future research should examine the crossover effects of sleep treatment on pain and of pain treatment on sleep.