| Keywords |
Pain ; Sleep ; Chronic disease ; Health ; Elderly |
| Abstract |
Both pain and sleep serve to maintain homeostasis and function across multiple physiological systems. However, sleep problems and pain are common among the elderly and have been shown to affect negatively on their quality of life. While previous studies have suggested the link between pain and sleep, many questions in their association are not well established. This study aims to speculate relationships between symptoms of chronic pain and sleep disorders in community-dwelling elderly. The data were collected from body measurements and questionnaires distributed between the January and February 2018 in Gyeonggi-do area. The participants comprised 248 communitydwelling elderly aged 65-94. Of all the participants 81 percent indicated chronic pain and 77 percent met the criteria for sleep problems. Both sleep problems and pain intensity tended to be increased with aging. Among the participants who has chronic pain showed mean pain score of 4.6. Among the participants who has chronic disease 77 percent suffered from sleep problems. Sleep latency and sleep duration were correlated (r=-.434, p<.001) whereas chronic disease correlated with sleep latency (r=.137, p=.044). Sleep problems and pain intensity are factors indicating potential physical and functional disturbance among elders. Therefore, optimal interventions such as pain control, living environment design, and health programs are required to develop strategies to improve their quality of life. |