Sleep duration and quality are associated with health-related quality of life in adults aged 60 years and older.

Background: The current study aimed to determine the association between sleep duration and quality with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among the Iranian older persons.

Methods: This study was conducted on a representative sample of 3452 Iranian older people (≥ 60 years) who participated in the Iranian Longitudinal Study on Ageing (IRLSA) launched in Neyshabur (Razavi Khorasan province, northeastern Iran). The Persian versions of 12-Item Short Form Survey (SF-12) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were utilized to measure the level of HRQoL and the level of sleep duration and quality, respectively. Multiple linear regression model was performed to analyze the data and clarify the independent association of sleep duration and quality with HRQoL.

Results: More than half of the study population (52.4%) suffered from poor sleep quality. 57.3% and 3.9% of individuals were short sleepers (< 7 h) and long sleepers (equal or more than 9 h), respectively. The total score of HRQoL was achieved 65.87 ± 20.55. After adjusting the covariates, the results indicated that short sleep duration was negatively associated with HRQoL (P < 0.05), whereas no significant associations were found between long sleep duration and HRQoL (P > 0.05). Interestingly, the results of multiple linear regression model revealed a significant negative association between poor sleep quality and HRQoL (P < 0.001).

Conclusion: The current study confirmed that short sleep duration and poor sleep quality were independently associated with lower HRQoL in the older persons. Therefore, interventional courses should be planned to enrich sleep-related healthcare and general HRQoL in the older persons.